The Blacklight Avatar
by Cybertramon001
Summary: One day, Alex Mercer attacked a Blackwatch outpost dealing in wormholes. Then, he found himself in another world, filled to the brim with the screaming souls of his victims. And at the same time, Avatar Korra was dealing with the Rise of the Equalists. But they have friends in black and white uniforms. Can Alex keep his monstrous nature under control? Rated M for death and maiming.
1. Monster in Republic City

Chapter 1: Monster in Republic City

It was a quiet night in the great city of Republic City. Well, as quiet as any city could ever get with everyone moving around at all times of the day. The day-shift firebenders were heading on home, while the night-shift was heading into the power plant to create lightning to power the city. Hawkers were still trying to sell wares, and several adult clubs were booming with business. But our story doesn't begin with them.

It begins in a quiet alleyway, as a swirling vortex opened up amidst all the trash. A cat yowled as it ran away from the alien thing that interrupted its snack. Another cat just kept on eating though. It clearly just didn't care. Something big and squelchy was spat out by the vortex as it closed behind it. The thing trailed out tendrils, the body writhing and growing a mass of tentacles, and faces, and arms, and who knows what else. It seemed to be in pain. Then, the tentacles stopped moving as they noticed the cat.

Prey.

The cat finally realised something was up, just in time to see the tentacles reach out for it at a blinding speed. It yowled once, before it was engulfed by them. After a mere second, they drew back to show that the cat was gone. Not a trace of fur, tooth or claw to be seen.

Then it started writhing again, as though it had indigestion.

* * *

The drunken man stumbled his way down the street, sucking on his bottle of wine like it was all that mattered. Damn bouncer. Throwing him out like that. Those stupid non-benders needed to learn their place, and fast. If he wasn't so drunk as to be unable to make a whiff of fire, then he'd show that guy his place. Maybe tomorrow he'll go round and burn the place to the ground. As he passed an alleyway, he heard something weird in it. Like a squish. Then he could hear voices. Maybe it was a secret meeting of non-benders. He grinned as he finally got a small flame in his hand. Well those brats were in for a rude awakening. He stumbled down the alleyway, planning on all the ways he could hurt someone. It was going to be fun.

"Come out; come out, you sneaky little non-benders." He looked around, but he couldn't see any sign of them. But he could hear the voices more clearly. They seemed to be arguing at the same time. In fact, it sounded like there were a lot of them now. If he had been less drunk he might've realised what a bad idea this was. But he was still sore after being thrown out like that, and he wanted payback. He rounded the last corner, and stopped as he tried to figure out what he was seeing.

A large mass of black-and-red tendrils writhed, growing body parts and faces. He saw as a man with a big beard turned into a dog, then a fat woman, and then a young child. And they were all screaming. Was this some kind of spirit? He tried to listen in on what they were saying.

"…You're a monster… This is Delta 9, I have... want mommy… Please Alex. I didn't mean it…The pain! It hurts so much." But then all the faces spotted him. They turned to stare, before sinking down until it was now a wall of eyes and mouths. It noticed the flame in his hand.

And it licked its lips.

He screamed and fired out a hose of fire at the spirit as it jumped him. His creams became muffled as he was devoured on the spot. The blob changed colours as screaming faces grew out of it, becoming bodies trying to drag themselves free. But they were pulled back in as the blob became more humanoid, growing bones and muscles while a single eye stared from a socket. Skin started forming over the body as organs regenerated, taking on multiple colours before turning a pale white. Finally, more of the blob covered his skin and became darker, changing into clothing. He wore a dark hoodie over a white shirt, while he also had blue jeans and black shoes. He collapsed, hissing and shaking as all the memories assaulted him.

And he changed shape several times as Alex Mercer tried to hold on to himself.

* * *

_You're a monster… Oh god. He's in the building… I'm gonna skullfuck you, bastard… Every second you live, more people will die… Get me out of this freak… I don't want to die… Mommy, I'm scared…_

_You cannot deny your nature._

"Just watch me, Greene." Alex growled as he pulled himself together. This was beyond bizarre. He's never had anything like this before. True, he was pretty sure Greene helped push him into hating humanity. He seemed to keep acting a lot like her. But he's never had so many voices screaming in his skull before. It felt like his whole body wanted to explode.

But he wouldn't let it. The virus would be unleashed. And he swore to never do that again after New York Zero. He just had to keep it together. He had to stay in control, no matter what. But right now, he had to learn what was going on. The last thing he remembered was trying to stop one of Blackwatch's experiments in portal technology, before he got pulled in by the force. Then everything got blurry as his whole body ached. And then he hit something solid, he felt like he was being ripped apart, and then…

Then he saw a man holding a flame.

He quickly started sorting through his memories, trying to find this guy. It wasn't all that difficult, once he got past the headaches. The guy's outfit was weird. Like if the 90s was given an Asian theme. Once he found him, he pulled him forth and started rooting around in his skull. What once only took a second stretched on for minutes, but he finally got it. A new world, where they're only just entering the Industrial Age. Before that, no one bothered because they had benders. People who could control the very elements. Earth, Water, Fire and Air. Regular people had what were pretty much super powers, using them for everything from farming to warfare. And above all of them, their Superman, was the Avatar. The spirit of the World. The Avatar was unique in that he or she could use all four elements at once, while everyone else had one if they were lucky. And once the Avatar died, they were reincarnated in a different Element kingdom.

He was in Republic City, a metropolis made from what had been the Fire Nation Colonies during a massive Hundred Year War between them and everyone else. A melting pot of all nations. And the Avatar was actually here, training for something. Alex frowned at his hands, wondering if he could use firebending now that he ate someone. Apparently, one way to generate fire was with rage.

Well, he had plenty of that to go around.

He felt the souls in him stirring, leeching onto the firebender's memories of his training. He felt them focus on what they hated most, and he nearly fell apart from that rage. But he gritted his teeth and held on, until a small flame flared from his open hand. It reminded his body too much of flamethrowers used later on against him, and so he blew it out. But he got what he wanted. He could firebend. As he sighed in relief, he felt his body seize up as the rage of his victims refused to be diffused. He groaned from the discomfort of having his body being pulled in all kinds of directions, before slamming his fist into the ground in frustration. A pillar of stone rose from the ground not too far from where he was. He looked at it in surprise, all of the souls calming down in shock. Earthbending. Was it possible? Granted, he wasn't normal, but could he also bend all the elements? He looked for a water pipe, and focused once he spotted it. He held his hands out in front of him, like the pipe was already in his hands. And then he squeezed the air.

The pipe burst open from the water, splashing down everywhere. As he grinned, he spun his hand in a small circle, creating a very small gust. If he hadn't been looking for it, he'd have thought it was just the wind. But he could do it. He could bend all the elements. This was an amazing gift.

Now he just needed to find some 'teachers'.

* * *

It hadn't been that hard to find someone to 'tutor' them in the art of Earthbending and Waterbending. Besides the fact that the Republican knew about the Triple Threat Triad, none of the benders were exactly subtle. Not surprising. Bending was a gift, one that made them better than normal people. They were the strongest, so they were on top. Now, if they also were Infected instead of weak humans, they could…

"Shut up Greene." He growled to himself. He couldn't get distracted. Not while he was so close to one of the benders. The guy was walking down the street, flirting with any woman he saw. Most left as quickly as they could. This guy had a history of hurting women.

Well, at least he had his opening.

He shifted his body, choosing the best parts of all the women he had consumed. This was also rather slower than usual, like he was stretching muscles he hadn't used in a long time. He could feel his body resisting at every turn. He couldn't even imagine how bad it would be if most of his minds didn't agree to this. They wanted to learn how to use the bending arts. Hell, Randall was first in line even though he despised Mercer. He guessed they wanted to know how to use this and weaponise it.

"Well aren't you just a pretty one." Alex said with forced cheer, swaying her hips and giving herself a little bounce. The Waterbender just couldn't keep his eyes of her chest, almost drooling in excitement. "You know, my boyfriend just dumped me for some flat-chested slut. I think I need some 'company'." She pushed herself against his arm.

"Well I'm the best company you'll ever find ma'am." The triad said sultrily as he led her to an abandoned alleyway. Real classy, pal. "I should warn you though. Women with me tend to become screamers." He placed his hand up her skirt, touching his undergarments.

Alex smiled at him. "That's ok. I'm a bit of a biter." Her waist started devouring his arm, pulling him closer and closer. He tried to scream, but Alex muffled him against her breasts, watching as he sank into her body. Once he was all gone, she swayed as she processed all the information he had. Damn, things hadn't been this bad since he woke up with Amnesia.

One down, two to go.

* * *

The earthbender was even easier to spot. He was busy tormenting a non-bender for fun, throwing the guy in the air with pillars and closing off all his paths. He could feel Heller roaring in anger over this injustice. But Alex reined him in. They needed the guy alive, not a stain on the ground. Still, that didn't mean they couldn't torment him back.

He only took a few steps before the bender noticed him. He turned around and gave him an evil grin, not caring that his prey was running. "Well, well. Another non-bender. You here to save your 'friend'?" Alex didn't say anything. He just kept walking. "Well big mistake pal." He used his bending to rip out a good-sized rock and threw it at Alex. Against a normal person, that rock would've pulverised their head like a grape. It was going too fast to stop, so all a person could do was dodge it.

So imagine his surprise when Alex caught it with one hand, and had just kept walking.

"Actually, I wanted to play with my prey." Alex said calmly. "Then I wanted to pick your brain about some things. It's going to get a bit messy." He punctuated that by crushing the rock into pebbles.

The bender started panicking. According to the interrogators, saying scary things so calmly scares people more than threatening them. It says that they're so unimportant that you'd treat them like going to get some milk and bread from the store. The Earthbender fired several columns at Alex, but he just punched them into rubble. Then the bender surrounded him with walls and a roof, before running away. But he yelped as Alex jumped _through_ the stone to land in front of him. He fell over and backed away, whimpering in fear. As he fired off more rocks that were shattered by Alex, the monster got closer and closer. He was soon within grabbing distance.

Then the bender got him through the chest with an earth spike.

The bender panted as he kept crawling away, watching as Alex stared at him. Then Alex smiled, and kept walking forward. The bender could only watch as the spike kept going through his body, but as though it was water instead of a living person. Soon, Alex had stepped through it completely, leaving a lone spike in the ground.

"Wh-wh-what the hell are you?" The bender stuttered as he kept crawling away.

"Isn't it obvious?" Alex asked, his hand changing into tendrils. "I'm a monster."

And then the bender could only scream as his body was torn apart.

* * *

Despite some arguing with himself, getting the training from those creeps had been easy. Even when he was surprised by the spike it didn't really matter to him. However, getting Airbending training was going to be much harder.

According to what the benders were telling him, there were only 4 Airbenders in the whole world. Apparently long ago, the Fire Nation killed almost every last one of them to try and stop the Avatar before they invaded everyone, and at the very least make it impossible to have a fully realised Avatar afterwards. Killing and consuming other benders was easy. There was so many of them no one would really look all that hard. But if he ate an Airbender, everyone would jump up and cry out for war. And the newest Avatar, a girl named Korra, was training with them too. Not to mention that almost all of them were kids. He swore he would never go down that road again.

"Guess I'm doing this the old-fashioned way." He said, looking out over the harbour to Air Temple Island. And of course it would be on an island. The one place he hated going. He didn't know why, but Infected had a fear of water as strong as humans' fear of the dark. Before, he would've tried to find a way to fly over, or look somewhere else if he had to.

But bending gave him some shortcuts.

* * *

It was morning by the time he got over to Air Temple Island. He figured out on how to get over by holding the water under his feet as he ran over. True, he started sinking in some areas. But he stayed on the surface long enough to get there without being submerged. He'd have to make sure not to eat too much, or he won't be able to do this forever. After shaking some water from his skin, he walked up the long stairs in search of some guy named 'Tenzin'. Apparently, he was the Airbending master. He wasn't too hard to find. He spotted the old guy not far from the top of the steps. He was bald and had blue arrow tattoos, as was supposed to be the custom of the Air Acolytes. But he had a bitchin beard built like the front of a ship. And he certainly looked dignified with his red-and-yellow long robes.

"Oh, hello." Tenzin said in his deep voice, looking slightly confused. He guessed they didn't get many visitors here. "How can I help you?"

Alex decided the courteous thing to do was to bow. "I was told that you're an Airbending master. I would like to be tutored."

"Tutored? In Airbending? I'd love to, but I'm afraid I'd need to see if you are capable. Many times in the past people have thought they were able to airbend, only to realise after weeks of training." Alex nodded before concentrating. All the benders knew was that Airbenders were more calm and at peace with themselves. While he would never be 'at peace' with his souls, enough played along to allow him to fire off a small gust of wind. Tenzin looked like he had been granted a wonderful gift.

"Another Airbender? This is… This is amazing! How did you come across your gift?"

Alex shrugged. "Woke up with it. Figured it was Airbending, heard about you, put two and two together." He gave him a look. "But I want to make it clear I'm not going to join your Acolytes. I just want to know how to use my power."

"Erhem. Yes, right. I understand. I can't force you to become an Acolyte. But I must inform you that we are a strictly vegetarian community. You can eat meat in the city, but you are not to bring it here. Understood?"

"Yep." It didn't matter much anyway. He didn't need to eat anything. If he ever did it, it was to blend in, or remind himself on how to be human. As they talked, his senses warned him that someone was coming up the stairs. He turned to see a young, dark-skinned girl with brown hair and blue clothes walking up to them. The male souls in him noticed that she was very beautiful. Her figure was well-formed, and she had the right amount of muscles to show she was like an amazon. Plus she was rather buxom in the chest. The female souls noted that she didn't overtly display her beauty, nor did she try to hide it. She was simply a girl, and being beautiful and strong was simply a by-product of her gender.

Alex, however, didn't care about anything other than she'd most likely be a very big, persistent, and annoying threat to his continued health.

"Ah, Korra." Tenzin said happily. "Allow me to introduce…Uh. You know, we never really introduced ourselves."

"Name's Alex Mercer." It would be easier to just use the first name he was created with. No one here would know what that meant. True, it would sound very foreign, but he was going for that anyway.

"Alex." Tenzin repeated. "What an unusual name. Well, I'm Tenzin. And this here is Korra. I'm sure you've heard of her."

"The famous Avatar." Alex said as he reluctantly shook her hand. "I've heard of you. Master bender and all that."

"Nice to meet you too, Alex." Korra replied. "So. What brings you to Air Temple Island?"

"You won't believe this Korra. But Alex is an Airbender. He's here to learn how to use his wonderful gift." By now, Tenzin was almost hugging Alex, who shrugged his shoulders to shake him off. He hated physical contact. Tenzin gave a small embarrassed cough. "Anyway, if you could show him to one of the spare rooms, we can begin training for both of you."

"Sounds good. Maybe I'll do better with competition." Tenzin sighed, before heading off in a different direction. "Wow, I never thought I'd meet another Airbender. Where are you from anyway?"

Alex had already thought of a cover story. "I'm from a very small and _very_ isolated island called America. Not that people around, and benders are very, very rare."

"Whoa. I never thought there was such a place." By now they were walking down another path. "What's it like down there?"

"A bit more advanced. Without bending, people started making machines to do things for us a lot sooner than anywhere else. But we're kinda hard to get to know outsiders. Mostly, we just keep to ourselves."

"Dang. Sounds kinda lonely." Alex smirked. Korra was a girl after his own non-existent heart. She was just as awkward as he was. Just far more talkative. "At least I had Naga."

"Who's Naga?"

"My Polar Bear-dog." Alex nearly stopped in surprise, but managed to keep moving. This world had mixed-up animals. Great. His scientific mind was already at work figuring that out. Soon they reached a small building all on its own. "I figured you'd be more comfortable on your own. Unless you want to be with other people."

"No. Alone is good." The furtherer he is from people, the better. With all these 'problems' he's having, the last thing he wanted was to 'wake up' and find out he ate someone. And it made it less likely that someone would find out what he was.

"Great. Well, you get settled in. I'll go and find you an Airbender outfit." She started jogging away, leaving him to 'set' himself up. It didn't take too long – he didn't own anything after all – and he was waiting by the door as Korra came rushing back. "Here you go." She panted, holding up a red-and-yellow suit "Found one in your size. Listen, could you do me a huge favour?"

"Depends. What is it?"

"I just remembered I'm meant to be at my pro-bending training really soon. Could you just let Tenzin know where I am? Not he'll be too worried. He looked like he was bouncing with joy when he introduced you." Pro-bending. The local spot of this place. Where two teams of Fire, Earth, and Water compete to win in front of all their fans.

Alex gave her a nod as he took the robe, letting her rush off quickly to a nearby cliff. Probably swimming on over. Seems like the sort of thing she would do, from just having known her for a few moments. He took a quick look around before shifting his clothes into the robes. He felt weird with hair, instead of covering it with his hood.

Still, he was willing to put up with discomfort if it meant he learnt how to Airbend.

* * *

"There you are Korra." Mako said as she ran into the training gym. "Where were you? You're late."

"Sorry Mako." Korra replied. "I forgot. Met this new guy over at Air Temple Island."

"New guy?" Mako's brother, Bolin, said with a look of shock. "What new guy? You never mentioned a new guy before."

"He only just got here. He's a latent Airbender, from some isolated island called America. He seems a bit cold, but I get the feeling he doesn't really have any friends." By now, they were passing a ball between them, to train in teamwork.

"Hold on." Mako interrupted her. "You're saying you just met a guy, who claims he's an Airbender, and came from some island no one's ever heard of? Don't you find that the least bit suspicious?"

"A little. But do you really want to tell Tenzin that you don't trust his new best friend? Besides, he doesn't seem dangerous. And I'm the Avatar. I can handle any creep.

"I'm not saying you can't, Korra. But you're practically inviting this guy into your home without knowing anything about him." Korra threw the ball at him with more force than was needed.

"You _could_ at least give him a chance. You haven't even met the guy yet."

"And you've only known his for, what, one meeting? You can't tell what a guy is like just like that."

"Oh, I hope our newest team isn't having a fight." Some new guy said as he entered the gym. He looked a bit rich, wearing a full-length overcoat and a brimmed hat. "You guys looked pretty good together last night."

"I'm sorry, and you are?" Korra asked.

"Right, sorry. Name's Butakha. I'm the owner and director of this whole place." He shook Korra's hand. "It's an honour to meet you, Avatar." He then turned to Mako, pulling out a big wad of Yuans. "Now, here are the winnings for your last match. But first, there's the cost of the Avatar's new gear, then there's gym rental costs for the month, your rent, and finally a personal loan for groceries." He ended up taking every last Yuan he had been about to give to Mako, who merely glared at Bolin. Korra noticed that the 'personal loan' was the biggest cut of the lot.

"What?" Bolin said defencelessly. "I'm a growing boy."

"And I'm afraid I have more bad news. The teams competing for the championship have to pony up 30,000 Yuans for the pot. Unfortunately, you've only got till the end of the week, or else you're out of the championship." Butakha at least had the decency to look sad from having to tell them this. If their winnings all went down like that, they were never going to make enough by the time limit.

"Hey Korra." Bolin squeaked. "You wouldn't happen to have a secret Avatar bank account overflowing with gold, would you?"

"Sorry Bolin. I've got nothing. I've never really needed money. Found that out the hard way when I first got here. Far cry from having everyone else look out for you."

"Well then you didn't exactly have nothing, did you?" Mako said angrily as he picked up his bag. Korra winced at that. She probably said something offensive again.

"Don't mind him." Bolin replied. "Ever since our parents died, we've been on our own."

"I'm… I'm sorry. I didn't know." Korra apologised. Looks like she was still learning that things still weren't like she thought they would be.

"Alright, pity fest's over. Now we need to figure out how we're going to make the money."

"Ooh, ooh. I've got it." Bolin hooted. "I've been training Pabu to do circus tricks. When people see him in action, they'll be handing over their money." He looked so happy, holding onto his pet fire ferret. Korra and Mako just shared a look of 'this isn't going to work'.

"C'mon Bolin. We're trying to be serious here." Mako replied, frustrated. Bolin's smile drooped, before muttering that he was being serious. "Don't worry. I'll come up with something. I always do."

Korra looked on in worry. She was the Avatar. Saviour of the world.

And she couldn't even help with money problems.

* * *

The good news, Alex found, was that after a couple of tries he got the physical motions down perfectly.

The bad news, however, was that he was a failure on the spiritual side.

"Don't worry Alex." Tenzin's eldest daughter, Jinora, said to him supportively. "Sometimes meditation is the hardest part of Airbending."

"Yeah." Her sister, Ikki said. "The first time, Korra found it impossible to meditate." God, with her motor-mouth and her unending questions Alex almost felt like eating her to get some peace and quiet. The youngest one, Meelo, wasn't any better. "I bet you're just too excited to meditate, like she was. Do you need some help? Do you? Do you? Do you?"

"I refuse to be out meditated by a girl who's up to her eyeballs in sugar." Alex growled as he kept trying to calm his spirits down. Not an easy task at the best of times. He supposed he'd just have to settle with very small winds. It wasn't like they were very dangerous.

"Oh, dad never lets Ikki have sweets. Not after what happened last time. I never knew she could do so much damage with just her head." Alex sighed as he realised he wasn't going to make any headway. Meditating was supposed to calm yourself, help you connect to the spirits of the world. Well, with all the people stuck inside of him, he was never going to calm himself. They were all pulling against each other inside of him, wanting revenge, or power, or something. He and Jinora just watched as Korra went through the Airbending course Ikki and Meelo had got ready for her. It was a bunch of tall panels, sent spinning from the winds. Korra was supposed to make her way through without hitting any of them, as if you hit one you were generally knocked into another. According to Meelo, Korra destroyed the original in frustration. He could believe that.

As Korra jumped out at the end next to Alex and Jinora, he spotted someone else walking up to him. He looked familiar, for some reason. Tall, with dark hair and a red scarf. Then it hit him. Mako, the Fire Ferrets Firebender. A rising star on the Pro-bending arena. And Korra's teammate.

"Ooh!" Jinora said. "Korra, Korra. Isn't that the handsome Firebender boy that drives you crazy?" Korra looked over her shoulder in surprise, before staring at them again.

"Does he drive you crazy in a bad way?" Ikki started asking. "Or does he drive you crazy as in you _like_ him?" Korra quickly Earthbended the two girls high into the air, trying to act as though nothing happened. Meanwhile, Alex watched as they floated back down to the ground, none worse for the wear.

"Hey Mako, what's up." Korra said cheerfully, the Firebender not even caring that she just shot two kids into the air.

"Have you seen Bolin?"

"And a fine hello to you too. No actually. I haven't seen him since practise. Think something's wrong?"

"I don't know. Bolin's got a habit of getting into stupid situations. I'll let you know if I find anything."

"Wait. Me and Alex can help you. I mean, friends help friends, and you can get to know Alex better." Mako looked at him for a bit, frowning as if Alex insulted him in some way. Amazing. Usually he had to actually _do_ something to get that kind of reaction.

First chance he got he was silencing this kid before he got too curious.

"We can take Naga." Korra continued saying, not noticing their glares. "She's a great tracker"

"We'll find him in no time."

* * *

"I am so sorry about Naga's behaviour, Alex." Korra apologised as they headed to Bolin's favourite hangout, the Central City Station. "I just don't know what came over her."

"Don't worry about it. Animals just don't like me. I'm used to that." Admittedly, this was the first time he had to resist killing something that tried to maul him. So Korra and Mako were riding on Naga's back, while Alex walked a healthy distance away from them. He could tell how close he could get because Naga would growl at him if he got too close. Probably sensed he wasn't normal.

The first thing that he noticed when they got there was the massive statue of Fire Lord Zuko, one of the city founders according to his memories. The other thing was that neither Korra nor Mako could apparently see this Bolin they were looking for. Alex could've helped, if he knew what the guy looked like. He was sure Korra only brought him along so that whatever problems Mako has with him could be put at ease.

"Well, this is his usual hangout. Someone's got to have seen him." He spotted a bunch of kids playing around the statue, hopping off Naga to go and talk to them. "Hey. You guys seen my brother around here?"

"Maybe." One of them said. "But you know how bad my memory can be." Alex saw the scam coming a mile away. He wanted to just grab the kid, consume him, and learn the truth that way. But he quashed that instinct down. Korra and Mako would have a problem with that. And you don't last as long as he has by just following instincts. No, better to let Mako handle this. He seems to know the rules. He sighed, and pulled out a Yuan to give the kid. "Saw Bolin sitting in front of the statue. He was doing some kind of monkey rat circus for some reason. And then…" Mako gave him another Yuan. "Shady Shin pulled up and flashed some serious cash. Word on the street is that a few members of the Triple Threats, The Red Monsoons, and the Agni Kais vanished last night. Each gang blames the other, and now they're going to war." Having said what he knew, the kid ran off after his friends.

Oops. Looks like someone _did_ notice those guys going missing. And now they were starting a war over it. Alex supposed it was his 'civil duty' to wipe out all the gangs, before they caused him problems. "Sounds like a turf war's going on." He said as they headed back to Naga, Korra looking over her shoulder at the kids. "Now why would such an upstanding citizen like your brother be getting involved with them?"

"Probably some misguided attempt to get enough Yuans for the championship pot." Mako sighed. "That idiot. Come on. We need to get moving before anything goes down."

And if it does go down, anything could happen. Like a gang banger ripping Mako's head off during the fight.

Problem solved.

* * *

"It's a bit strange how you know exactly where to go to find their headquarters." Alex said as he ran alongside Naga, easily keeping pace. Hell, he had to slow down so as to not outrun them. That wouldn't be normal. "Met them before?"

"Sometimes you have to do things you don't like to keep your little brother safe." Mako replied. Alex could accept that. He'd do anything to save Dana, before he chased her off by giving in to his instincts. "And what I find strange is the fact you're keeping pace with us."

"Ran a lot back home." Alex swerved as Naga suddenly started chasing after some kind of red-furred weasel. Korra had to fight to get her back under control. Alex hesitated. He _could_ keep going to the hideout. Thanks to the Earthbender, he knew exactly where it was. He could be that guy, pretend he was still alive, and then kill everyone inside.

But he didn't know what Bolin looked like. He could easily end up killing him. And Korra would most likely have his head for that. Growling in frustration, he turned to follow them. Luckily, they hadn't gone too far. The weasel was wrapped around Mako's neck. Clearly some kind of pet.

"We've got to hurry." Mako said as Alex pulled up. "If Pabu's here, then Bolin's in trouble." They raced along, following Mako's directions. Soon, they pulled up in front of a tall building. "Something's not right. There's supposed to be guards outside."

"I thought we agreed something was wrong when your pet showed up on the streets." Alex replied as Korra kicked the doors off their hinges. A woman after his own heart. Of course, he'd have gone for the wall. People never expect you to crash through the wall.

The place inside looked ransacked, like a fight had happened. Maybe one of the other gangs had attacked early. Alex heard some soft talking, just before the sound of a truck starting up. They all raced outside to find a truck filled with people, and bikes. Around the vehicles were strange people dressed in olive-green outfits and strange gas-masks. Alex nearly went into rage-fuelled shock before reminding himself that these weren't Blackwatch.

And if they were? He was going to kill each and every last one of them.

The three of them moved in to rescue the people, when the gas-mooks pulled out canisters. Flashbangs? Smoke grenades? No, it turned out to be a combination of the two. Korra and Mako started coughing as green smoke filled the alleyway, while Alex charged on ahead with his heat-vision activated. He ended up smashing through a bike before crashing into the truck hard enough to knock it onto two wheels as it rode off. Damn. That was the biggest flaw of his heat-vision. As he shook his head, Naga came racing out of the smoke, Korra and Mako on her back. Alex smiled a bit as his hunter instincts started up, giving chase behind them. He sped up until he was even with Naga, before slowing down slightly. He was already pushing the suspension of disbelief by catching up to them. They'd know something was up if he outran them. Besides, he still didn't know what Bolin looked like.

The bikes and the truck were within easy distance, but the bikes were in the way. And they were too manoeuvrable to be hit by Mako and Korra's bending. Eventually, they ended up driving through a large square, before three bikers pulled back and blocked them. They threw bolas that tripped Naga and Alex up, causing Korra and Mako to get thrown off. The mooks surround the three of them, two going for the others while the lone third walked slowly towards him. Alex broke the bola with ease before rushing the mook.

The guy clearly hadn't been expecting that, because he ended up dodging away as Alex punched empty air. He tried to roll around him, but Alex was fast enough to stop him. They went on like this for several seconds, until a lucky dodge allowed him to roll up behind Alex. He then started hitting him in certain locations, areas Alex knew were pressure points.

Unfortunately for this guy, Runners didn't have pressure points.

"That tickled." Alex said slyly, before grabbing the guy and slamming him into the ground with one hand. He won't be getting up anytime soon. Alex turned to see that Korra and Mako were having a much harder time fighting their foes. Too reliant on their bending.

"_And were you really any different, Zeus?" _Randall said to him. _"The only reason you managed to survive after we took your freaky Infected powers was due to pure dumb luck."_ Alex raced in and gave one of the mooks a kick he wasn't going to forget, while Naga broke free and sat on the other. But she got away from her by shoving a gas canister into her mouth. While Naga was choking on it, the girl-mook tried to get away.

"Oh no you don't, bitch." Alex told her as he grabbed her by the neck. But he underestimated how determined this girl was. She struggled so much he inadvertently snapped her neck in his grip. Great. And it would be just his luck that the other two didn't make it either. He had spent so long killing things that he forgot to pull his punches. Damn. Hopefully, there was another way. Well, waste not, want not. He consumed the girl, keeping his body between her and the others.

Korra was freaking out as she failed to bend. "Calm down." Mako told her. "Those are chi-blockers. They're Amon's henchmen."

"Amon? You mean that anti-bending guy with the mask?"

"Yeah. He's the leader of the Equalists."

"Nice name." Alex snorted. "Bet it's meant to sound all nice and friendly." Korra gave him a look.

"Well, maybe these guys can tell us more." She swept her arm out at the two guys Alex most likely killed. "Where did the third one go, anyway?"

"Probably legged it. Must've realised she lost when it became 3 – no, 4 on one." Mako was checking over them.

"They're dead." He said. "I think it was blunt-force trauma." He gave Alex a glare. "What were you thinking? We could've interrogated them."

Alex shrugged, planning on killing him the first chance he got. "I figured it was better to save our lives first. Sometimes I forget my own strength."

"Wait. You're telling me that Alex killed them with his bare hands?" Korra asked. "That's… that's unbelievable."

"Call it a quirk of my island. Some of us are stronger than we look."

"That's an understatement." She looked in the direction of the truck. "I just hope we find Bolin."

"If we're going to find him, we need to figure out a lead. We can't just keep going over the city looking for that truck. They probably ditched it as soon as I put a dent in the side. We need to find someone who can talk."

"And will someone please tell me what Bolin actually _looks_ like?"

* * *

Korra came up with the lead. On the first day she got here, she came across a guy shouting anti-bender slogans and pro-Amon shit. They were going to wait in the park for him, then knock the information right out of him. Well, that bit wasn't agreed on, but he was sure they wouldn't mind. Right now though, all they had was some uncomfortable silence."

"So…" Korra said as they sat around a tree. "What kind of work did you do with the Triads?" Alex smirked. Real smooth, Avatar.

"I didn't do any enforcing, if that's what you're wondering." Mako replied. "I just did book-keeping for them. That's all we really did. And as soon as we could afford it, we left the Triads. There weren't really a lot of options available for orphans on the street."

"Oh." Korra at least managed to look guilty. "Can I ask happened to your parents?"

Mako sighed. "They were mugged by a Firebender. Got cut down right in front of me. I was 8 at the time."

"Oh." If the silence got any louder, the whole city would hear them. "I'm sorry."

"No need to be. You help me get Bolin back, and we're square on the whole issue." Mako turned to look at Alex. "What about you? What's your story? And don't give that whole 'I'm just a regular guy' stuff. Regular guys can't kill someone by accident."

Wait for the right moment. Wait for the right moment. "Just what I told Korra. I'm assuming you know it?"

"You're from some weird island no one's ever heard of, and you're here for Airbending training." Alex shot off a small gust.

"Dad was sociopath, Mom was crazy, Step-mom was a drunk. All I had was a little sister, and we parted on bad terms." The best lies were based on truth. His father _was_ a sociopath.

What kind of man would create a deadly virus for mere profit, and then unleash it when cornered?

"Not really keen on going back." And that was all they said. Alex killed conversations like he killed people. Now all they had was time.

Well, time and a hoard of angry minds.

* * *

Alex watched as Korra and Mako fell asleep against Naga's flank, too tired after such an exhausting day. Alex didn't need sleep, so he was lucky enough to start having arguments with himself. They fought over the usual things people in their situation would fight about. Being eaten by a monster wasn't fair; he's evil and should kill himself; some can't wait to get free and tear up some shit; and loads of swearing.

Heller was always a very crude person.

And the worst part was that he _could_ silence them by being them, but the most vocal voices belonged to people that made his look like a lovable grandma in comparison. People who wouldn't hesitate to destroy this entire world and all its people. And he refused to let that happen.

So he sat there, fighting all the other minds in his body, and waited.

"Equality now! Equality now! We want Equality now!" Some guy in an green outfit had started shouting through a megaphone, standing on top of a table. Alex had watched as he and his friend got things set up, wondering if he should wake up the others. But he wanted to be sure it was the right guy. He didn't even notice as the two woke up, found themselves way too close, and jumped away from each other. That was his doing.

What? He couldn't help it.

"Er…Uh…Um…" Korra stammered before giving up. "Let's go and talk to that guy already." Alex stretched his muscles briefly before following them. As they got closer, listening to the protestor shout about how they were being oppressed, Alex got his body ready for action.

He was going to enjoy this 'chat'.

* * *

"It's you again." The protestor gasped as Korra pushed her way through the small crowd. "We will not be silenced, Avatar. I have a bodyguard." Korra watched as a guy dressed in a black-and-white outfit walked over, a weird metal stick in his arms. He looked a lot like those chi-blocker last night.

Move aside lady." He growled at her, his voice sounding like it came from a radio. "Or else things are going to get…" He stopped talking as he noticed Alex. Alex looked shocked, confused…and angry. His eyes were almost glowing with rage. The guard started shouting in some strange language, the only word she got being 'Zeus'.

"BLACKWATCH!" Alex roared, before grabbing the guy and slamming him into the ground. Korra thought that the damage he did to the last guy was extreme.

But this was completely different.

The guy pretty much exploded from the slam, splattering blood and guts everywhere. Alex managed to make a hole big enough to fit a satomobile in it, ripping the clothing and denting the metal stick. Everyone started running in a panic. Korra could only look on in horror, as Alex grabbed the protestor by the throat.

"What is your connection to them?" He growled. Literally growled. "Do you work for them? Tell me!" The poor guy had actually wet himself in fear, to terrified to speak. Alex slammed him into the table, hard enough to break it. "Tell me. Tell me!"

"Enough Alex!" Mako shouted at him, pushing him away. Alex turned his eyes on him, looking as though he was going to rip him apart. "We're here about Bolin, not so you can kill this guy about some weirdo chi-blocker in white." Alex glared at him some more, panting heavily, before dropping the protestor and walking off. As he passed, he stopped to stare at some of the pamphlets being handed out, picking up some to look at. "Now, either tell us where the chi-blockers are, or we'll let Alex continue talking to you."

"I-I-I don't know where they are." The protestor stammered. Mako looked at Korra, who headed off after Alex. "No, wait! I'm telling the truth. I just recruit the people to our cause. I don't even know where our base is."

"Then what's this 'Revelation'?" Mako shook a slightly bloody piece of paper in his face.

"I don't know either. But if I had to guess, I'd say your brother would be there. You find the location with the map on the other side. It's been split into four parts, and if you get them together and put it against a map, you can find out where it is. That's all I know, I swear." Korra heard the faint sound of a whistle. This was bad. If they got arrested, Bolin might be in danger. As much as she didn't want to, she was going to have to run.

"Naga. Come on." She called out, hopping on her as she pulled close. Mako jumped on after her, while Alex raced along behind her. They kept going until they were far away from the park. When they hopped off, Mako shoved Alex against a wall.

"What the hell was that? You freaked out and killed that guy, then you looked like you were going to rip apart the only guy who'd know where Bolin was. What's your problem."

"Believe me kid," Alex growled, "if you knew what Blackwatch was like, you'd thank me for what I just did."

"Well I think you should tell us why you hate them so much." Korra said, getting right up in his face. Alex glared before answering.

"Let's just say that my strength isn't natural. Blackwatch made a serum that can make anyone as strong as me. But they didn't want this freely distributed. Probably because they break several humane laws just by making it. So if they find out it's out and about, they hunt it down. And kill anyone in their way." Alex was shaking as he spoke, his words almost tripping over each other. Whatever these guys did, Alex despised them completely. "So yeah, I brutally killed him. And I'll kill every member of their sick, twisted group. Along with anyone that helps them."

"Alex, I can get that you think you have a good reason to kill them all. But no one else will. You're going to have to get a grip, or otherwise you'll get the death penalty. And what if you're wrong about someone? What if you think they're working for this 'Blackwatch' but they're not." Alex kept glaring, before closing his eyes and meditating. How badly did they hurt him anyway?

"Fine." He gritted out. "I'll try doing things your way. But I'm not going to let them get away with whatever they have planned. And if I tell you something about them, you guys _listen_."

"Deal." Korra held out her hand to shake. She knew Alex could snap her wrist if he wanted to. But she was banking on the fact he _meant_ what he said. Alex stared at her hand for a moment before giving it one firm shake. Nodding in agreement, Korra hopped back on Naga.

"If Bolin suffers because of your actions, I'll kill you." Mako told Alex angrily. Alex just gave him a bloodthirsty smirk.

What had she just made friends with?

* * *

Stupid. Stupid. He shouldn't have lost control like that. Yes, that guy was going to try and kill him, his allies, and if there was one there was more. But he didn't need to splatter him like that.

But there were so many voices screaming for revenge. They suffered. Their friends suffered. Their neighbours suffered. A whole city nearly wiped out because the Government made the ultimate weapon. He knew everything they knew, and they knew everything he knew. They knew that Blackwatch was going to nuke New York. They had seen his memories of their atrocities. Blackwatch deserved to die. Every last one of them.

But you can't pretend to be normal if you're killing everyone.

They found the Revelation pretty easily. It was housed inside a large warehouse. Alex was all for crashing in and tearing his way through, but he lost the chance to vote due to the attack. Right now, he had to pretend to be normal, and follow Korra and Mako's plan.

Unfortunately, that wasn't really an option anymore.

"I can't get near that guy." He whispered to them, dressed up as a younger man in a scarf. Korra hid her distinctive clothing and build under a long coat and a hat, while Mako didn't have to do as much work. _That_ guy was a D-Code Super soldier, Blackwatch's answer to Hunters and him. Nearly twice the size of a normal person, and with enough strength to bench press a truck. "He's been modified to be able to smell anyone that drank the serum. He'll recognise we instantly. And after your argument you made it clear you don't want casualties."

"But how will you get in?" Korra whispered back as they stepped closer. The D-Code was already looking around, as though he had a niggling feeling.

"I'll find another way. Go." He gave them a small push as he stepped out of line, stumbling and pretending to be drunk. It worked. The D-Code turned back to the line heading in, ignoring Alex as he got further away. It didn't take him long to find a ventilation pipe leading in. He stretched out, turning into a liquid, and slithered into the pipe. He couldn't see in this form, but he could still detect enough to figure out where to go. As he took turns, the voices of the crowd grew louder and louder until he eventually found an opening. He spilled out of there, quickly grew an eye long enough to look around, and then reformed into his new look. With his hood low over his face, and his scarf high, no one would recognise him. He then sneaked his way through the corridors until he found a massive crowd on the shop floor. Interesting. Seems anti-bending feeling were pretty numerous. He figured some were jealous that they didn't have bending, and wanted to cut down anyone better than them. It would be so easy to silence all of them right now.

No. He had to stop thinking like that. If he slipped up again, he'd end up in prison. Not a big challenge for someone like him, but it was time wasted. Besides, Blackwatch would be nearby if one of their D-Codes was right outside. Best to just get Bolin out, and deal with Blackwatch another time.

"Big crowd, ain't it?" He said walking closer to Mako and Korra. As far as the crowd would assume from their conversation, they were just non-benders surprised that so many people agreed with them. "If there's a bender here, he's probably going to be on stage so we can see the gutless freak."

Korra nodded. "Probably meant to be the main attraction." The lights turned off, except for four directed onto the stage. The main event was afoot.

"Ladies and Gentlemen. Please welcome your hero, your saviour, the man that stands for the people, Amon." A hatch opened on the stage, lifting up several people. On one side was several Equalist mooks. On the other side was Blackwatch soldiers. And in the centre of them, was the guy with the mask. Amon. Given the cheers people were giving, they clearly didn't know what kind of monster the guy was allied with.

"My quest for equality began many years ago." Amon began saying. Ah yes, establishing the link to the common man. "When I was a boy, my family and I lived on a small farm. We weren't rich, and _none of us_ were benders. This made us very easy targets for the Firebender who extorted my father." He started pacing as he spoke. "One day, my father confronted this man, but when he did, that Firebender took my family from me. Then, he took my face." The crowd gasped in horror. "I've been forced to hide behind a mask ever since. As you know, the Avatar has recently arrived in Republic City." Apparently, despite being a hero, the crowd didn't like Korra. Made sense in a way. They didn't like benders. And Korra was the strongest of all benders. "And if she were here, she would tell you that bending brings balance to the world. But, she is wrong. The only thing bending has brought to the world, is suffering. It has been the cause of _every_ war in _every_ era." Alex took a quick glance at Korra, who was grinding her teeth in anger. "But that is about to change. I know you have been wondering, 'What _is_ the Revelation?' You are about to get your answer." Finally. "Since the beginning of time the spirits have acted as guardians of our world, and they have spoken to me. They say the Avatar has failed humanity. That is why the spirits have chosen me to usher in a new era of balance." Well of course they would. It wouldn't do well for your revolution if they agreed with her. "They have granted me a power that will make Equality a reality. The power to take a person's bending away. Permanently."

Well, colour him impressed. If it was true, then Amon was the biggest threat to benders everywhere. And without their precious bending, people wouldn't be able to defend themselves from the common man. Alex foresaw riots everywhere as the non-benders too whatever they wanted. And he imagined that some would want to break Korra.

"That's impossible." Korra whispered. "There's no way he could take away someone's bending."

"Now, for a demonstration. Please welcome, Lightning Bolt Zolt." One of the Equalists grabbed one of the hostages hidden behind a curtain. He looked like he was a very wealthy man. "Leader of the Triple Threat Triad, and one of the most notorious criminals in Republic City." The crowd booed at him. Evidently, he had a lot of enemies here.

"Ahh, boo yourself." Zolt shouted back, looking smug. More Equalists led several other hostages onto the stage. And Bolin was the last member.

"There's Bolin." Mako said obviously. Korra just squared her shoulders and started walking forward until Mako held her back. "Wait. We can't fight them all. We have to be smart."

"As much as I hate to admit it, Pretty Boy's right. Those guns Blackwatch are holding? All the bending in the world can't help if they shoot you."

"Then what do we do?" Korra asked.

"I'm thinking." Mako replied, annoyed. Alex had an idea, but it was a small one. And the D-Code complicated things.

"Zolt has amassed a fortune by extorting and abusing non-benders." Amon was saying. But his reign of terror is about to come to an end. Now, in the interest of fairness, I will give Zolt the chance to fight to keep his bending." The first Equalist untied Zolt's bonds. Either Amon was over-confident – which was likely – or he truly could beat a bender in close combat. God knows his mooks managed it.

"You're going to regret that, pal." Zolt said arrogantly as he fired a blast at Amon. But Amon dodged them like it was child's play. Even a blast of lightning was easily avoided. That's why Alex liked guns. Sure, they weren't as flashy. But if you shot at someone, they'd die pretty quickly.

Well, usually.

Amon got behind Zolt's guard, grabbing him by the wrists and directing his lightning away. He then placed his thumb on the centre of Zolt's head. The lightning got weaker, until it changed into flames before guttering out. Amon let Zolt go, who quickly turned around and tried to shoot a flame. Nothing happened. He really did it.

"Wha…What did you do to me?" Zolt asked, afraid. People were always afraid of the unknown.

"I just took your bending away. Forever." Amon turned to face the crowd as Blackwatch members took Zolt away. "The era of bending is over. A new era of Equality begins!"

"So, what were you saying about it being impossible?" Alex snarked at Korra while the crowd cheered. She gave him a dirty look, before turning to Mako.

"Any ideas yet?"

"I've got one. See those machines? They're powered by water and steam. If you can create some cover, I can get Bolin out of here."

"Bad idea kid. While I'm partly sure that Blackwatch won't just open fire in a crowd, you've still got the D-Code at the door to deal with."

"I can handle him." Korra replied. "And do you have a better idea?"

Alex sighed in frustration. "D-Codes are unbelievably tough and strong. They can break a man with one hand, and can survive most things. The last time I fought one, he lost his head for 30 seconds before he finally bled out. So if we're going for this plan, I'll keep him distracted, while you create some steam."

"Are you sure you can beat him without causing casualties?" Mako asked. "Cause that was part of our agreement."

"I don't have to beat him. I just have to keep him preoccupied long enough for you guys to escape." Korra and Mako shared a look, before nodding in agreement. Mako headed to the front of the stage, while Korra and Alex headed away for a side corridor. By using Infected Vision, Alex spotted his prey easily enough.

Time for some fun.

* * *

He kept getting closer to the D-Code, not even bothering to hide his presence. The super soldier felt something weird and looked around. Once Alex was close enough, the D-Code looked him square in the face. His eyes flashed red as he used his own infected Vision.

"Fuck." The guy said in English, right before Alex charged him.

The force Alex had been storing in his legs allowed him to smash through a steel wall. Steam billowed everywhere as they ripped apart pipes. Alex and the D-Code grabbed hold of pipes and started smashing each other round the head, denting the pipes more than their skulls. The D-Code grabbed Alex's arm and twisted it till it ripped off. The pain was bad, but Alex had been eaten before. This, this was nothing. He quickly grew another arm with a blade before shoving them deep into the D-Code's chest. But he used the pipe to knock Alex down the corridor, tearing the blade out in the process. Painful, but not unliveable. He then pulled out his rifle, noticed it was badly dented, and just decided to skewer Alex with it. In such a narrow corridor, he wasn't able to dodge.

But neither could the much larger D-Code.

Alex fired a large spike at him, feeling woozy from losing so much biomass. The spike blasted through the cut he made before, and pinned the D-Code to the wall. Alex jumped on him, and started pounding his face until he stopped moving. Then he kept pounding until a normal man would be dead. He was about to strike some more to make sure when he noticed all the steam billowing about. Might as well get going, before more Blackwatch members show up. He grabbed his arm and his spike, before breaking the D-Code's neck and moving out. He blended seamlessly with the crowd, heading out into the open before going to look for Korra and Mako. Hopefully, they managed their mission while he was losing an arm. He rounded a corner to spot Korra picking up a dazed Mako and placing him on Naga. Then she spotted him.

"Alex. Thanks."

"No problem." He spotted the knocked out Equalist, the one with the moustache. " I could finish him off for you." Korra looked shocked, until they heard the sound of feet on metal. Alex's old radio picked up the Blackwatch broadcast. They were ordering all units to deal with all intruders. "Never mind. We need to get out of here." Korra jumped on Naga, and had her pick up Bolin as she passed. Alex used a whipfist to smash some walkways, before racing after her.

Guess this was his good deed for the day.

* * *

General Redcliffe watched as his men scoured the perimeter, making sure there weren't any more 'surprises'. Next to him, was the leader of these 'Equalists', Amon.

"You should've let us kill the Avatar." He said in perfect Chinese. If he was going to be negotiating with this guy, he needed to know how to speak the language. Luckily, one of his men 'donated' his understanding of the language.

"If we kill her, then she'll be a martyr for all benders. They will stand and fight in her name. But if we take away her bending and reveal her at the end, then she'll be nothing more than a broken girl."

"Instead, she escaped. Now the benders will know of us."

"Yes. Exactly as planned."

Now Redcliffe got it. "The best way to plan for an enemy is to let them think they know everything."

"Once Avatar Korra speaks of my power, the whole city will tremble before us. And they will dance on our puppet strings."

"Just remember our deal. Above all else, we want the Avatar." There had to be a logical way some people could bend and others couldn't. If they could access that power, they could have entire teams capable of fighting the Infected on even footing.

"Yes, yes. I remember. I don't like it, but your men can be very helpful." He and Amon both knew some of the men were benders. But Amon agreed to leave them alone if they went back home as soon as possible. And the Runner was the reason they were here in the first place. If he hadn't messed with the cross-dimensional portal in the first place, they wouldn't be here. Hopefully, he was dead.

"General." One of his men called out as he saluted. "We found Major General Phillips, sir. He's been killed."

That got everyone's attention. Phillips was one of the original D-Codes. They were Blackwatch's answer to an Infect Hunter, a tank-bashing monster of pure killing. Phillips has torn through several dozen of them. He was pretty much impossible to beat.

That left only one possible, horrifying explanation.

"Sonofabitch, Zeus was here." Redcliffe moved quickly with the soldier to find Phillips' remain, while everyone else got their guns pointed everywhere. Those with handheld viral scanners moved through the crowd, scanning everyone while at least two people kept an eye on them. Given that Zeus had torn through most of Blackwatch with ease, and then Ares did it again the following outbreak, they were taking no chance. Redcliffe found Phillips stuck against several dented pipes, not far from a D-Code sized hole in the metal wall. His head was badly crushed, while there was a massive hole in his chest. The men had a moment of silence for him.

Dammit." Redcliffe growled. "Phillips was one of my top agents. Amon, tell your Equalists that if they spot a pale man in a black hood, do not engage without our support. Zeus is dangerous."

"Actually, according to one of my men, such a man literally crushed the soldier you had guarding him." Amon mentioned almost carelessly.

"And you didn't think to mention a lone man crushing one of my soldiers?"

"I was a bit busy organising the Revelation. We need men to take back the city."

"Dammit. Men, I want this place cleansed by tomorrow. Work systematically and smart. I don't want to waste energy burning a clean floor." As the men moved to follow his commands, Redcliffe stood in front of Phillips. He was a damn good man, and a damn good soldier. Perfectly willing to do whatever it took to stamp out the infection.

"You will be missed." He said, grabbing Phillips' dog tags.

So he was surprised when Phillips started waving his arm weakly.

"Men! Phillips is alive! I want him stabilised on the double." As medics came rushing in, he thought he heard Phillips say something. "What was that soldier?" He leaned in closer.

"I said, Zeus will die."

**This story is what inspired me to write 'A Monster in King's Landing'. I thought Alex would be even more terrifying in this setting given how if he had souls, he'd be an eldritch abomination made of them. That in fact causes him problems. As all the people he's consumed are alive inside him again, he's got to put up with them arguing. And As shown, if enough of them agree, they can override Alex's control.**

**As for bending, **_**yes**_**, Alex will seem overpowered. The rule I've made is that the souls' bending is weaker than the average bender, but having dozens of them working together in one body makes him stronger overall. Well, as long as they cooperate.**

**And as for Heller, well Alex somehow survived inside Heller, and managed to take over after a while. So, he and Greene are still alive in there, along with Randall.**

**If Alex loses control, the Avatar World is screwed.**


	2. The Other Avatar

**Hey there. Sounds like people enjoyed the first chapter. I decided to change Alex's bending abilities, since Trondason pointed out that even with Alex's spiritual imbalance, he'll still be the strongest bender of all time by sheer number of souls working together. I had him weaker so I wouldn't make Korra redundant, but after talking to him I realise it can still be her story too. It'll just be about how Alex makes her feel like a fake Avatar and how later his true nature scares her. Oh yes, Korra **_**will**_** find out what Alex really is.**

Chapter 2: The Other Avatar

Korra panted for breath as she finished running through the air course again, managing to make it through without a single hit. This was so irritating! She could do loads of the legwork and techniques, but not a single gust. And she was having to cut down on her training, not just for pro-bending practise, but because Alex was using it a lot. She shivered as she remembered how he killed that man in the park, how he splattered him into paste. And every day, she was worried that Chief Beifong would show up to arrest him.

"It's good to see you here again, Korra." Tenzin said as he walked over. "I must be honest, I thought you were cutting training for pro-bending. Alex and I are usually all alone."

"Well, pro-bending's important to me." She replied shakily. She wanted to tell him the truth. How his new student was a killer, full of rage and strength. But she was afraid. It was very clear that all the bending in the world wouldn't save her if he got his hands on her. If she talked, he might kill all of them and run off to seek out this 'Blackwatch' again. And he honestly seemed like he wanted to avoid killing more people, to try and make up for some mistake. Could she really, in good conscience, take that chance away from him?

Maybe. But he'd still probably kill her.

"I'll admit, he's not the easiest student I've had." Tenzin sighed. "He always seemed too… aggressive. Like something's troubling him. And he's always going off spirits-know-where. You wouldn't happen to know where he might go, would you?"

_Yeah Tenzin. He's probably out and about hunting down people he says are willing to kill everyone. Oh, and by the way, he's probably killing them all._ She just shook her head. "He said he's from a small island, right? Maybe he's just exploring the big city."

"Well, I hope he's alright. Those Equalists hunt down anyone that can use bending. And after that night in the Memorial Island…" Korra shivered as he mentioned that. She had been so stupid, calling out Amon to try and overcome her fear of him. She called for a fair fight between them, but he cheated. He had his chi-blockers tie her up and leave her vulnerable to him. Only the fact she'd likely become a martyr saved her bending. Everything went quiet as she remembered the nightmare…

* * *

_It was late at night, and her open window banged quietly from the small breeze. She woke up, feeling a slight chill that had nothing to do with the wind as the near-silent patter of feet sounded outside her room. As she woke up, her window exploded as a chi-blocker jumped through it while others came in through her door. She managed to fight them off for a bit, but one sneaked past her and blocked her bending causing her to collapse in a heap. Amon came in from the shadows, glaring at her from his mask._

"_Once I take your bending away," He said, "you will be nothing."_

_And that was when Alex slithered out of the shadows, his eyes glowing red and his body appearing to be made of mist. He promptly ripped Amon in two, splattering blood everywhere, before attacking the chi-blockers. They tried everything, but he tore through them like paper. He shrugged off their strikes, reaching out to snap them like twigs. They used smoke bombs, but his eyes glared out of the smoke as they were pulled in. As the smoke parted, he was standing on a pile of corpses, covered in their blood. He stalked over to her, not even saying a word._

_The last thing she remembered was him squeezing her head until it exploded, and Tenzin and his family's heads on his belt._

* * *

"I'm sure he can handle himself." She said after a while, getting up to walk away. She needed fresh air. She needed a change in scenery. She needed something, _anything_, to chase the nightmares away. She was so busy thinking, she nearly walked into Alex. She stifled a scream as she backed away from him, instinctly preparing for a fight. Alex noticed, and just looked at her. His expression was always difficult to read. She couldn't tell if he was curious, confused, angered, or just planning to kill her on the spot.

"Ah, Alex." Tenzin said warmly. "We were just wondering where you were."

"Over by Sound-lake beach." Alex replied simply. "I find it to be a good place to continue my meditation. Peaceful, quiet. And no other people to distract me." He gave Jinora and Ikki a pointed look.

Tenzin laughed a bit. "Yes, they can be a bit… overexcited. But they mean well. Will you join us for dinner again?"

"Thanks, but no thanks. I plan to do some reading about the Hundred Year War back in my room. I'm slightly surprised we never heard anything about it."

"Well, if we've never heard of your island, I doubt the Fire Nation ever encountered it. If you feel hungry, we can prepare you something later." And with that, Tenzin left with his kids. Korra went to leave with them, only to nearly yell as she felt Alex's hand nearly crush her arm. She turned round to see him staring hungrily at her, his skin almost moving as he watched her. She remembered seeing that look on Naga when she played with her food. Like she was nothing more than a passing interest.

"Let go of me." She grunted, trying to pull free. Alex gave her a confused look, before letting go in an instant. Korra stumbled as she pulled away, fearful. And when she got scared, she lashed out. "What's your problem? Afraid I'm going to tell Tenzin about what you did in the park?"

"No. No, it's not…" He shook his head, like he was trying to remove an annoying bumblefly. "I… I need to meditate. No one is to interrupt me. No one!" He moved quickly, pushing past her roughly. She rubbed her shoulder in discomfort. It was like hitting a wall or something. As she watched him move frantically to his quarters, she stared at her arm. Bruises from his grip formed clearly on her skin. From the way he acted, he probably didn't even realise he was doing that.

How strong was he?

* * *

Alex groaned as he made it into his room, snarling as he felt the other minds pushing against him. It was all he could do to throw the locks he installed the first week he got here before falling in a heap. Granted, the wooden door would fall easily to his might, but nothing could really stop him if he wanted to. He could feel his body fall apart as he lost control, slithering everywhere while his victims tried to break free. But he couldn't lose them. The Virus could not spread. But he could feel himself slip away, losing control of everyone. As his eyes turned to biomass, he could hear them whispering.

_You're a monster… Just die already!... You hurt them all… She does not trust you… Must be removed… How can one soul bend all four elements… Haven't had a real lady in ages…_ He could feel himself drowning in his own mind. But as things started getting darker, he could feel his biomass changing. Feel as something grew from him. Something curvier, female. And he could feel the biomass take on the texture of rubber. A wetsuit. No, a testing suit. A woman in a testing suit, pulling free.

"No!" He yelled above all the other voices, forcing her back down. She screamed at him, but he hung on. **He** was in control. **He** was the leader, the king. And she was _never_ breaking free.

He didn't know how long he was there, pulling her back under and smothering her with the memories of others. All he knew was that he couldn't give in. He couldn't stop. And he could never let her meet Korra.

Or else the world was doomed.

* * *

"Heading off to practise." Korra shouted back as she left the Air Temple, her uniform thudding against her back as she started running. As if as an afterthought, she decided to check on Alex. She woke up in the middle of the night, thinking that she heard his voice. But no one else heard it. Maybe she was going crazy? Like all the stress was getting to her? Maybe, but she should still check. It would be bad for people if he went on a rampage. As she crept closer to his room, she thought she could hear something. A crowd of people, talking over each other. Things slamming into the walls. As she got closer, her foot stepped on a creaking plank. And the voices stopped. She tried the door, but it was locked. Wait, what? The Air Temple doors were never locked. "Alex?" She asked, waiting to hear something.

"Don't come in." He replied curtly.

"I was just wondering if you were ok. You never showed up for…"

"I'm fine." He was nearly shouting at her. "Just leave us alone!" The door shook and cracked as something heavy slammed into the other side, nearly getting her head. She tripped over her bag, before picking it up and running. Jeez, she tries to help the guy and he goes nuts. He really needed some professional help. As she raced down to the boat, something he said stuck in her mind. It wasn't till the boat was leaving, and she could catch her breath, that she finally figured it out.

What did he mean by 'us'?

* * *

"There you are Korra." Mako said politely to her. Things have been really fragile between the lot of them since the other night. After Korra admitted to Mako that she loved him, and he admitted later that he did too. How she kissed him, even though he was dating Asami Sato, and she was 'dating' Bolin. They nearly lost their place in the tournament because of their infighting. But they patched things over, mostly, and agreed never to talk about it for the rest of the tournament. "We were starting to think you weren't going to show up."

"I… was a bit behind." She answered. "Barely got on the boat. But now that I'm here, how about we get started? I'll go and get changed."

"Good. After the Wolfbats won so quickly we really need to make sure we're… Wait." Mako grabbed her arm, staring at her badly covered bruise. "What's this?"

"Oh that? It's nothing. I just uh… got hit by the training course." She could only watch as Mako removed her armband, revealing the distinct and clear bruises. Even she had to admit they were clearly finger-marks. Mako looked at her, already knowing who did it.

"Korra, you need to tell Chief Beifong about Alex. You can't keep covering for him. What if he kills someone else?"

Korra looked away, trying not to see the look in his eyes. "There haven't been any more reports about killings since the first one. And he seems to want to change. What kind of person would I be if I took away his chance to redeem himself?"

"The smart kind? Look, I know you're worried he might kill all the monks in he felt he was threatened. But he can't watch you forever. You just need to go to the Metalbending Station, and let them know about what he did."

"He hasn't done anything else." Korra was getting annoyed.

"Korra, listen to yourself." He grabbed her arm again. "Look at the bruises he gave you. _This_ is definitely something. What if he does more than just bruise you?"

"I can fend him off myself Mako. I don't need a babysitter against one guy." Even to her ears, her words sounded fake. They all knew she wasn't strong enough. After the Metalbender Police investigated the factory the Revelation was held in, they found a giant hole right near the door. Where the Doorman, the 'D-Code', had been standing. If Alex could punch a man through a wall, then what else could he do?

Mako sighed, recognising her stubborn nature at work. "Look, we'll talk about this _after_ the finals. But you can't protect him forever Korra. Sooner or later, you need to realise he's not normal. He's dangerous."

"Oh come on Mako." Bolin said as he put one arm around his older brother. "The guy helped save me. He can't be all that bad. And you yourself admitted that without him, I'd have lost my bending. I'm sure it was an honest mistake on his part." They both didn't feel up to correcting him. Bolin thought the best about almost everyone. And he had never seen Alex turn a man to paste in a single blow. "Now, let's get to practising. We're going to take that championship pot and make Tahno kiss it." That got Korra laughing, but Mako just still glanced at her arm. Honestly, he was way too overprotective. She was certain Alex wouldn't hurt her on purpose.

_Then why haven't you told Beifong about him?_ A part of her asked. _Or at least let Tenzin know what he can do? And what other reason do you have for being so frightened of him?_ Her paranoia was interrupted by the squealing of the radio.

"Good morning, citizens of Republic City. This is Amon." They looked in shock as the Equalist leader spoke through the radio again. "I hope you all enjoyed last night's pro-bending match, because it will be the last. It's time for this city to stop worshiping bending athletes as if they were heroes. I am calling on the council to shut down the bending arena and cancel the finals, or else there will be severe consequences." The radio cut out, leaving only static.

"You think they'll give in to his demands?" Mako asked her.

"I'm not waiting to find out. Let's get going." She replied as she rushed to get Naga ready.

There was no way Amon was going to get the arena closed.

* * *

They pushed the doors open with a loud bang, getting the attention of the Council members, including Tenzin. And he looked very annoyed that she was disobeying him again.

"Korra, you shouldn't be here." He said. "This is a closed meeting."

"As the Avatar and a pro-bending player, I have a right to be heard." Korra said as she, Mako and Bolin walked over. "You can't cancel the finals."

Tenzin sighed in exasperation. "Korra, I know winning the championship means a lot to you. But as far as I'm concerned we need to shut the arena down."

"Well, what about the rest of you guys? Tarrlok, you can't agree to this." She turned to the Northern Councillor. Tarrlok was a slimy politician, who manipulated her into agreeing to joining his task force. She left after being scared by Amon, but he was still doing everything he could to find and stop Amon and his Equalists. Surely he would stand against this.

"Actually, for the first time ever, I agree with Tenzin." He said as he stood up. "While I am still dedicated to stopping Amon, I will not risk innocent lives just so that you lot can play a game."

"It may be a game to you, but think about what it means to the city." Mako interrupted him. "It's the one place where benders and non-benders gather together in-in peace. To… watch benders…"

"Beat each other up." Bolin finished as Mako realised how stupid he sounded. "In peace. It's an inspiration to us all."

"If you close the arena, you're letting Amon win. You're showing everyone that you're so scared you'll let him push you around."

"I'm sorry Korra, but our decision is final." Tarrlok was about to bang his gavel, marking the meeting as over, but a metal cable shattered the head of the gavel. They turned to see Beifong enter the council room.

"As much as I hate to admit it, I agree with the Avatar." She said as she got closer. She always looked like a statue to Korra, with her metal uniform, her grey hair and her steely gaze. Korra always thought she was as likely to agree with her as Amon would hug her and call her his best friend. "I expected this kind of cut-and-run from Tenzin, but the rest of you? Come on. Show a little backbone people. It's time to show these Equalists the unity and strength of the bender society."

"We must prevent an all-out war between benders and non-benders at all costs." Tenzin argued. Korra had a mental image of Alex walking through a street of blood and non-bender corpses. "The council is not changing its decision."

"Now hold on Tenzin." Tarrlok said. "Let's hear what our esteemed Chief of Police has in mind."

"Thank you Councilman Tarrlok. My Metalbenders and I will provide extra security during the championship match. Our armour makes us immune to the chi-blockers' attacks, leaving them defenceless."

"And will you personally take responsibility the safety of all the spectators in the arena?"

"I guarantee it."

"Well then, who am I to argue with Chief Beifong's track record? If she's confident that her elite team can defend the arena, then I change my vote. Who else is with me?" Korra watched in amazement as everyone apart from Tenzin raised their hand. She Mako and Bolin shouted in joy at the change of events. "Very well then. The arena stays open. Good luck in the finals, Avatar Korra. And good luck to you, Chief Beifong."

They were still in the running.

* * *

Korra was still excited when she returned to the Air Temple. Beifong had ordered that everyone had to leave the arena while she and her team searched the entire building for any possible signs of tampering. So now she had a couple of hours to chill, mediate, and generally get ready for the big match tonight. As she went past the Air Bison pens, she thought she heard Jinora speaking to someone. When she went to look, she nearly had a panic attack.

"…And they use their knowledge of Airbending to help propel themselves into the sky and fly." She was telling Alex, who was looking at them almost hungrily. "There's not that many left though, so we keep most of them here to breed."

"Airbending would explain how they manage to lift themselves off the ground." He replied thoughtfully. "They lack an aerodynamic build needed for lift, and they appear too slow to move fast enough to generate the lift anyway." He stared at them a bit longer, careful not to get too close. Guess all animals didn't like him. "Jinora, say that hypothetically a large creature with wings was trying to fly. Could they do so with Airbending?"

"I guess so. With wings to catch the updraft it would be even easier. In fact, the creature could be even bigger or heavier than an airship if the Airbending was strong enough." Jinora finally noticed Korra watching them, and turned to wave. "Hey Korra. Dad said that your big match is still on, even with Amon threatening people."

"It is." Korra replied walking closer now that they had spotted her. "Tenzin wasn't really for it though. Beifong really had to twist his arm to get it to stay open."

"Mom and Dad said we couldn't come, since the Equalists made that threat. So I wish you luck in your fight."

"Thanks kid."

"I'm coming along." Alex said. "If the Equalists are going to attack, then you'll need all the help you can get."

"And the fact that Blackwatch might be there too doesn't have anything to do with you coming to my match." They both knew it was true, so he didn't even try to deny it. "Look, just don't do anything stupid. I doubt that just because you're fight Equalists will mean anything to Beifong."

"Don't worry Korra. I'm not stupid." Their conversation over, he turned to keep staring at the Bison. They started acting up under his gaze, moving away from him. Korra decided to sneak away, while he was occupied. But as she left, she realised that if he was here, then his room was free. Maybe she should get a sneak peek into it, see what he meant by 'us'.

"Hey Jinora. Why don't you show Alex some books about Air Bison physiology?" Jinora nodded, before grabbing him by the hand and pulling him after her. It chilled her slightly to see the young girl so close to him, but if he hasn't killed her yet, then she'd be safe. With him busy, she quickly moved to his room, the door closed and foreboding. But to her luck, it wasn't locked. I mean, why would it be? It's not like he could somehow walk through walls. She carefully opened the door, expecting to see a guest, or journals, or something that screamed 'clue' to her.

Oh, she got a clue alright.

Everything inside the room was smashed, clawed, or half eaten. The mattress was in ribbons, frame all mangled and leaking. Claw marks decorated the walls, and there were holes everywhere. The ground was cracked as if something heavy had pounded it, while parts of the roof and walls were missing as if something had pulled them out.

"What are you Alex?" She whispered to herself, as she saw some kind of red lining the deepest cuts in the floor.

* * *

Alex knew that Korra had been in his room. Though she didn't realise it, he had left a hair on the door that remained broken after she left, and recorded the noises she made as she entered.

What was he? A monster. A killer. A terrorist. All that and so much more. He was the end of worlds and civilisations, the destroyer of life itself. In a sense, he was a god, creating a new breed of beasts and more monsters.

But right now, he was a normal guy watching a pro-bending match. A blatantly cheating match.

"Oh come on refs!" Tenzin shouted, watching the match next to Chief Lin Beifong and Alex. "There was some funny business in that last play." Alex saw it too. The Wolfbat Earthbender lifted an Earth Coin right under Mako's foot to trip him up.

"Oh?" Beifong asked amused. "I never had you pegged as a fan of pro-bending."

"I've been brushing up on the rules so I can support Korra. That Wolfbat clearly bended outside his zone."

"The Ferret brothers are backed up to zone three and the Wolfbats smell blood." Shiro Shinobi said as he commentated on the match. Looks like Tahno snuck in an illegal icing move but once again there's no call. I don't know what match the refs are watching but it's obviously not this one." Alex watched as Korra was hit with a fire-and-water combo, knocking into zone three. "Oh ... a splash-and-clash sends the Avatar to zone three as well." Mako and Korra were the only ones left on the stage, right up until the Wolfbats unleashed a three-way combo to knock them overboard. "It's a knockout! The Wolfbats win the championship for the fourth year in a-. Hold on a second, folks! Scratch that! The Ferrets are still alive, but just barely." Alex looked closer, and saw that Korra was barely holding on, with Mako in the other hand. He estimated that Korra was going to fall soon. So instead, she threw Mako over the side, allowing him back onto the ring as she fell. Mako announced himself by hitting Tahno in the back with a fire blast. The guy looked like he was going to snap when he saw that they hadn't won yet. "What an unbelievable move! These Ferrets aren't just bending the elements, they're bending my mind! The underdogs survive to see round two."

Good. That meant that Korra and her friends still had a chance. He was tempted to stealthily consume one of the refs and vote fairly, but he knew it would be impossible to do so in such an open area. It looked like he was going to have to just sit and watch as the Wolfbats cheated their way to victory. He watched as both teams fought ferociously for the round, with a few illegal headshots thrown in by the Wolfbat Firebender. But by the end of it, both teams were tied. The Fire Ferrets won the coin toss, and so Korra stepped up to fight against Tahno, mano a mano. Tahno was so sure of himself that he told her to give him her best shot. She happily obliged him, knocking his helmet high into the air, and himself off the raised platform. Alex smiled as the round went to Korra. They just needed to win one more round, and the fight was there's. He already knew who was the better team. Korra and her friends were getting there by pure skill, while the Wolfbats had to resort to cheating to stay in the game.

He couldn't wait for a chance to put them in their place.

* * *

Redcliffe watched the pro-bending match in interest as he waited for the signal to begin the attack. It reminded him of his youth, watching wrestling matches and football games with his friends late at night. But he turned his mind back to the attack. His biggest problem right now was Zeus. The runner was somewhere in the city, and given his personal hatred for them he most likely didn't pass up this chance to fight them. Until they knew where he was, he refused to engage. Phillips was back in action, ready to take some vengeance for the brutal attack weeks ago. They had outfitted him with new body armour, meant to help against bending. But Zeus always had a new trick up his sleeve, and so this was a bit playing by ear. Maybe it'll help him survive, maybe it'll just get him killed. Until they tested it, they didn't know.

"You seem a bit tense." Amon said as he watched the match himself. He agreed to wait until they were ready before making his big entrance. He almost didn't recognise the dark-skinned man with the livid scars on his face. Since he wore a mask all the time, his real face was the perfect disguise. Just like how Batman could always hide as Bruce Wayne. "Relax. Things will go according to plan."

"When Zeus gets involved, nothing goes according to plan. We've been trained to fight things like him, and we still couldn't stop him."

"Then what makes you so sure he won't reveal his powers in public like this?"

"His best skills rely on no one realising what he is. If he shows everyone in the city that he's a monster, then he loses an edge. Whatever his plans are, he won't do that until he's got his army behind him."

"Then as I said, relax. Enjoy this mockery they call a sport. It's going to be the last match ever." Redcliffe wished that this last match was a bit more fair. The Wolfbats were cheating so blatantly even the commentator was pointing it out. The Fire Ferrets were giving their all, but their all just wasn't enough. He winced as the three players were knocked out of the ring by water with rocks in it. Clearly a broken rule. Amon sighed. "Well, I think we can't wait any longer. Now's the time for my announcement." He stood to leave, but Redcliffe grabbed him by the arm. Amon glared down at him, but he merely pointed to the ring. And the man jumping into it.

"Well it's looks like someone's raring to take on the Wolfbats' challenge." Shiro said in his microphone. "That guy managed to clear half of the arena in one jump. I don't know about you folks back at home, but we might be seeing an interesting match." They saw that the challenger was dressed in a black jacket, his hood down to reveal a blond-haired man with pale-blue eyes. The deceased Alex Mercer.

"Wait a moment and enjoy the match." Redcliffe replied. "It's not every day you see Zeus in action without him tearing your face off." The Wolfbats looked arrogant, probably expecting to win against a single opponent. He knew entire divisions that learnt the hard way what Zeus was capable of.

And the Wolfbats were learning as Zeus began with an Airbending combo, unleashing half a dozen shots in one go. "Well this challenger is certainly no green horn with skill like that. The Wolfbats are putting in their all just to stay in the ring. I doubt anyone's ready for what looks like an Airbending master." But The Wolfbats were getting better, now that they knew what to expect. Their Earthbender picked up 3 disks and threw them all at once, but looked on in shock as Zeus tanked them. If he could handle rocket fire, he could handle a few stones. "That's one tough man, taking those strikes like they're nothing. I don't know how long he can keep this up, but it's clearly having an effect on the Wolfbats." They started covering him with all their attacks, causing him to cover his face. "And it looks like he can't handle the heat any longer. What will he do now? Perhaps a special…?" They all watched as he pushed free, and lifted a dozen Earth Coins in one go. "Folks, I'm not sure what I'm seeing, but it looks like the challenger just used some major Earthbending. But then again, it could just be some precise Airbending." Zeus snarled at them, before facing Tahno's deluge. "And Tahno's resorting to breaking the rules again as he tries to hold on. How successful will it…" Alex waved his arms, and the deluge was directed around him while more water came from his side. "Holy moly! That is clearly Waterbending!" Tahno could only watch as the wave smacked him into the ground. "But if this stranger could Waterbend, does that mean that what we saw earlier was the real deal?" The Earthbender panicked, and fired a half-dozen Earth Coins back at Zeus. The monster punched them out of the air, bended several into the ground, and then pulled one into his hand. "Yes! He is definitely Earthbending! But that is impossible. There's only one Avatar! So who's the real thing?" Zeus chuckled, before throwing the disc with his hand. While his Earthbending wasn't going to hurt someone, his natural strength was capable of tearing apart metal. The Earthbender didn't even know what hit him as he was slammed into the far wall before falling into the water. "Ouch. He's gonna feel _that_ in the morning." The Firebender let off a powerful burst, only for Zeus to harmlessly disperse it in time to launch his own fire blast. "And we have the last element folks! It is official! We have a second Avatar!"

"I thought you said he wouldn't reveal himself as abnormal." Amon whispered into his ear.

"Our research shows that Zeus deludes itself into thinking it's human so much, that it can be affected by the human emotions it imitates. I imagine that Zeus wanted to put these cheaters in their place, regardless of the attention. And besides, if he wanted to remain in the shadows, he wouldn't have jumped out into the spotlight."

"Well now it's just down to one on one, but from the looks of it I don't think much of Tahno's chances." Shiro said, as everyone watched hungrily to the final moments. Zeus had called forth a big wave of water, too big for a single Waterbender to accomplish. Tahno could only watch in horror as he got flooded off the stage, following his teammates into the drink. "And it's over, it's over, the fight is over! The new Avatar has pounded an entire team back to the bottom of the ranks!" Zeus paraded around, waving his arms like some macho wrestler. Redcliffe had a quick peek at the Avatar, and saw that she looked as though her whole world had dropped beneath her feet. Unsurprising, really. There was supposed to be only one Avatar, according to Amon. And now here was Zeus, using the elements better than she did. But she was still Blackwatch's other goal. Zeus was easy to explain; he had half a city inside of him. But they still wondered how a single person could bend all four elements. Not to mention why there was never more than one. But first, they had to play along to Amon's tune.

"Alright Phillips." He said to his mic, using a special frequency beyond most Blackwatch radios. "Time to get your sweet revenge."

"I look forward to it Sir."

* * *

Korra felt her legs give out beneath her as she watch Alex finish his match. This was impossible. Impossible. There was only one Avatar. There's always only been one. And yet he could use all four elements. All four! She couldn't even do anything with Airbending, but he's mastered it. Maybe they were all wrong. Maybe she was never the Avatar. Maybe, she was some kind of anomaly. A person that could bend three elements. But now what? Being the Avatar was all she ever really knew. Her most prized feature, the one thing she wanted to be the most. She didn't know how to be anything else.

"What am I?" She whispered to herself. She doubted anyone would know.

"I don't know Korra." Mako replied. "But I'm pretty sure you're still the Avatar." She looked at him in surprise. "I never believed that whole 'island' thing. I think he's hiding something from us. I think he knows more about Blackwatch and the Equalists than he lets on."

"Uh, just wondering, are we going to arrest him?" Bolin asked. "It's just, you guys kept telling me he's dangerous. And that was before we learnt he was an Avatar." He was right. Alex was just getting stronger the longer they knew him. But Mako was right too. Alex was hiding something. And they _were_ going to get to the bottom of it.

"Hold on folks, I think we have another challenger." Shiro said as something large flew through the air at Alex. He dodged it barely, while the arena crumpled under his opponent's weight. "I don't know who he is, but this new guy seems rather… Equalist." Korra looked up in shock. He was right. While he was wearing an all-black outfit, that was the guy from the rally. The 'D-Code' Alex wouldn't get near. They faced against each other and spoke in that weird language, while everyone else was distracted by electric sparks in the crowd. It took Korra a few seconds to realise they were all coming from Metalbenders.

"Oh no." She whispered. "Guys. The Equalists are here." She turned to see Mako and Bolin surrounded by Blackwatch members, led by that lieutenant from the other night.

"Don't worry." He said in his deep, soft voice. "They already know." One of the Blackwatch guys pointed his stick, his 'gun' at her, and it made a small bang sound. Her right arm suddenly felt like it was on fire, causing her to fall down and scream in pain. "That was one 'bullet', Avatar. Those guns have hundreds of them each." His tone made it clear what he was asking of her. She pulled her hand away from her arm to find it covered in blood. She had no choice. As they started tying the three of them up, she could only listen to Shiro's commentary.

"Well it looks like the Equalists are using this chance to launch their attack, but the big guy is clearly on the defensive. I have never seen flames that big before." Alex was shooting a stream of fire at his opponent, while Earth Coins were launched by him twitching his shoulders. But then the D-Code ran out of the fire and knocked him over, his head crunching against the metal platform. That didn't stop Alex though, as he used some Airbending to blow the guy off. "This new Avatar is certainly a force to be reckoned with and clearly is not pulling any punches. In fact, it looks like both groups are planning to beat each other senseless or worse with strips of metal from the arena." Alex just seemed to shrug it off, until the D-Code crumpled hi metal on his head and pulled out a short metal stick. It made a loud boom, and Alex was actually pushed back as his chest fractured. The D-Code fired again, and again, pushing Alex back the whole time. She saw the metal on his head explode as blood flew everywhere. As the gun –for what else could it be – clicked instead of booming, the D-Code smashed it into Alex's head, before pulling out a small finger-shaped thing. But Alex fought back. He pulled a large amount of water, froze it into a giant spear, and skewered the D-Code right through and pinning him to the wall. "And it looks like I was right. That was definitely a killing blow. But wait, his opponent is still moving! Unbelievable! This guy just doesn't know when to quit!" The D-Code pointed the finger gun at Alex, and the room heard loud bangs as Alex jerked away, holding his hands over his eyes. Then, the D-Code threw a small metal fruit at him. The ground beneath his feet exploded, and he got thrown away. He was pulling himself up, but that last one was too much for him. The D-Code broke the spear in half, pulled himself off – leaving the spiked end covered in his blood – and jumped down to crush Alex under the weight of the frozen block. The hit threw Alex into the water, where he sunk like a stone and didn't get back up.

"Well folks, it looks like the Equalists want to show just who is tougher, and boy did they prove it. In fact, there is an Equalist in here with me, threatening me with a glowing gloved hand. No sir, I will not read Pro-Equalist tripe. If you're going to knock me out then just do it already." Shiro yelled into the microphone as sparks lit up his box. The Equalists dragged the Wolfbats back onto the wrecked stage, just as Amon used the central lift to get on top. They weren't looking so smug now, or angry. They were terrified. The Equalists let them go, and formed a ring around the two groups as Amon raced for the team members. They gave it their all, but Amon made it clear who was better. Everyone could only watch as he threw the Wolfbats around like rocks. As each member fell, his Equalists grabbed hold on them so he could remove their bending. Once Tahno himself had fallen, Amon walked menacingly over to them. Korra shuddered as her nightmares came to life.

"W-Wait." Tahno pleaded. "You can have the championship pot. You can have the trophy. I-I'll give you anything. Just please don't take my bending." But Amon was deaf to his begging, and they all watched as he placed his thumb on their foreheads. Korra suddenly was besieged by strange visions, showing Avatar Aang, Sokka, and Chief Toph Beifong. They were in a courtroom, watching a strange man. His eyes quivered, and then it cut to Aang leaving the Avatar state. She came back in time to see Amon grabbing the microphone as his Equalists threw the three disgraced pro-benders into the water below.

"I believe I have your attention, benders of Republic City." He said, looking coldly at them. So once again, the Wolfbats are your pro-bending champions. It seems fitting that you celebrate three bullies who cheated their way to victory because every day, you threaten and abuse your fellow non-bending citizens just like the Wolfbats did to their opponents tonight. Those men were supposedly the best in the bending world and yet, not only did a single man utterly destroy them, it only took a few moments for me to cleanse them of their impurity. And then my men managed to beat your 'new Avatar'. Let this be a warning to all of you benders out there: if any of you stand in my way, you will meet the same fate." The crowd gasped in horror. "Now, to my followers: for years the Equalists have been forced to hide in the shadows, but now we have the numbers and the strength to create a new Republic City. I'm happy to tell you that the time for change has finally come. Very soon, the current tyrannical bending regime will be replaced by a fair-minded Equalist government. You and your children will no longer have to walk the streets afraid! It's time to take back our city."

"How are we going to get out of here?" Korra asked Mako. It would be almost impossible to get free while these goons were watching them. Maybe their team leader had a plan. But before he could speak. One of the men around them started shouting and fired into the water. The team instantly ignored them, focusing on the water around them. One of them spoke into radio, and the D-Code jumped out of the water as the Lieutenant thrust his electric sticks into the water, and lit the whole thing up. They watched for several moments as Amon monologue in the background, until one of them fell from a spike. Two more fell as they started running, while one was pulled by black tentacles into the water. The D-Code picked up the remaining troops, and jumped high into the air. They watched as Alex crawled out of the water, shaking his head and groaning.

"Alex." Korra said gratefully. On any other day, she'd hate him for upstaging her, for making her doubt herself. But anything was better than this. "Thank goodness. Untie us already."

"Yeah, yeah." Alex said, his voice seeming deeper than usual. He shook his head one last time before he pulled apart the cables holding them like they were string. They quickly moved, trying to find Chief Beifong and Tenzin. They couldn't stop the Equalists alone. They needed allies.

"Before, the benders had an unfair advantage over us." Amon continued saying. "But now, thanks to modern technology and our new allies, we have levelled the playing field. Now no bender is safe from us. They will fall as easily as we used to. We will not stop until we bring equality to Republic City, and then to the world. The Revolution has begun!"

The glass roof shattered as an airship hovered high overhead, surrounded by small buzzing things. Cables dropped down to the Equalists, pulling them all up as Korra finally found Tenzin and Beifong. She shook them awake as the Equalists started escaping, right before Alex jumped after them. But the D-Code intercepted him, throwing him to the Arena just as the whole thing exploded. Her heart jumped into her mouth, but she could hear Alex's voice over the explosion. Beifong woke up and started struggling until she got to her feet. She saw what was happening, and used her cables to latch on after them. Korra needed to get up there. She had to capture Amon, if only to stop his plans.

"Alex!" She shouted, listening for him. "I'm going after Amon! Help me get enough clearance!" She jumped back down to the water, using her bending and her speed to launch herself upwards. She got great height, enough to clear any normal building. But it wasn't enough. She was running out of water. She was going to fall.

But then she felt the water jump underneath her. She quickly looked down to see Alex bending her higher, none the worse for the wear. Jeez, does this guy have any weaknesses? Whatever, he was helping, and she had to deal with it. The water forced her high enough to knock several Equalists off their cables, where she now stood and fired at Amon. She couldn't let him escape.

"Keep it up Korra!" Beifong shouted as she used her cables to move higher. But she had to drop down as one of the buzzing machines whirred as boomed at her. It was like a gun firing, and small cracks formed in the glass roof. They had nearly cornered her when Alex went flying through the hole, and latched onto it. It went into a spin as every other machine faced it and opened fire. The black hull burst into flames as the whole thing dropped through the glass, but Alex was already flying to another one. It flitted away, but Alex kept moving. As he got near another one, he fired a black, thick cable that latched on and pulled him. But Blackwatch destroyed that machine too.

She grunted as she got knocked off her platform. Stupid. She had been so busy watching Alex that she forgot about herself. She landed on the roof, which creaked ominously as she hit it. She sprung to her feet, dodging the Equalist attacking her. She moved quickly, focusing as much on punches as she did on bending. A large crowd of them approached just in time for Alex to slam into them. As he landed on the roof, the whole thing started breaking apart. The Equalists were running away as Alex fell through a new hole, getting picked up by several buzzing machines. Korra and Beifong had no choice but to run as the whole thing gave out beneath their feet. But they weren't fast enough. Or rather, the roof was too damaged. They both fell to the arena below. But Beifong used her cables to latch onto the Equalist banners that decorated the room while grabbing hold of Korra. Thanks to that, they both landed in the stands with only minor bruises.

"You alright Korra?" Lin asked as she helped her up.

"I'm fine. Thanks for the save." Korra replied.

"I'm fine too, in case anyone's wondering." Alex added as he jumped into their stands. They all watched Amon's airship flee the scene. "Blackwatch is getting smarter. They must remember the damage I did with helicopters before."

"Helicopters? You mean the buzzing machines?" Yet another invention from his island, if he was telling the truth. But how did he know so much? Maybe he used to work for Blackwatch, and ran off to get revenge. It was likely. By now, Mako, Bolin and Tenzin had all reached them. Mako stayed far away from Alex, but Bolin and Tenzin rushed past to hug Korra.

"I'm so glad you're all safe." Tenzin said, before turning to Alex. "And that bending. What you did should be impossible." Korra stopped listening as she saw Beifong slump down in defeat.

"He played me." She said, interrupting everyone. "I did everything I could and he still just about walked right over me."

"He played us all Lin." Tenzin said supportably. "The war for Republic City has begun."

Alex looked almost… worried. "And Blackwatch play for keeps."

**And there we go. I hope I gave a good reason for Korra to not mention Alex to Chief Beifong. If I met some guy that killed a man with one hand, I wouldn't want to piss him off either.**

**I originally wanted to do a chapter about Alex being a part of Tarrlok's task force, but I couldn't think of enough stuff to make it long enough. So we'll just assume Korra recommended against it. Mind you, the original idea had Blackwatch attack the gala while being led by Philips so Alex can show off his powers and generally be a one-man badass machine, so we missed out on that. Oh well. I suppose having Alex being a big enough threat to mince Blackwatch as soon as he won't be seen as the next best thing. Shame Alex lost to Philips, but the Equalist attack on the arena is one of the big set pieces. And yes, Blackwatch made helicopters. They brought plenty of tech with them, we just haven't seen most of it yet. Apart from the tanks, assume that if it was in Prototype 1 and 2, it'll be in here. And that includes the Orion super soldiers.**

**Next time on 'Legend of Alex', we meet an Equalist supporter (Spoiler: Hiroshi Sato) who underestimates Alex, we see him tear through tanks like putty, and Korra learns what she's bunking with.**


	3. The Monster Wearing the Mask

**And here's a new chapter. I'm really enjoying this story, and according to the reviews, so are plenty of other people. I thought I was going to get to the part I've wanted to write, but I didn't quite get there. In fact, I almost didn't finish this part, on account of being busy watching the latest episodes of Korra. Still a good show.**

**Now let's see what Alex and Korra are up to after the attack.**

Chapter 3: The Monster Wearing the Mask

Alex was busy meditating, keeping his souls in line after last night. They were all in turmoil over Blackwatch and the Equalist War. They all remembered what they did to New York during both outbreaks. Or at least they shared the memories of what happened. The very few Republicans he had consumed were horrified at the scale of their attacks; the New Yorkers were enraged at the damage they caused and tried to justify; and the Blackwatch members were defending themselves against the accusations. They said it was thanks to them that there was a New York in the end to live in. But he shut them down, as the outrage at such statements nearly caused him to fall apart. He cursed himself as he recalled the events of last night. Stupid. He let his emotions and his ego get in the way, and so he was vulnerable for Blackwatch to attack. With his limited biomass, he had to be more careful around them. Still, it was nearly worth it to see Tahno's face after he cheated his way to victory. Most alarming though was the D-Code. Unless they had several of them here, it had to be the same one he 'killed' back at the rally. Clearly, he was tougher than Alex gave him credit for. But the next time they fought, he was going down for good. But now that he got his souls under control, he needed some more time to check the seals in his mind. He needed calm, peace, quiet…

He nearly flinched as the sound of a newspaper broke through his concentration. He opened his eyes to see Korra standing over him, clearly very angry. Or was it upset? Whatever it was, she wasn't happy to see him. He made a big show of picking up the newspaper and opening it at the front page. Most of it was about the Equalist attack, and how the Council may respond. But a bit at the bottom was about him. How people thought _he_ was the Avatar instead of Korra. They argue that while Korra could bend three elements, the fact he could bend all four _and_ his bending was far stronger could mean that he was the real thing and Korra was an anomaly. He had to resist snorting in derision. Korra wasn't an anomaly, he was. He was a monster that cheated the rules. If they knew what he really was…

"Are you here because you feel threatened by my presence, Korra?" He asked her as he dropped the newspaper. "Cause just so you know, I don't really care what people think of me. I'm not interested in popularity."

"Actually I'm here to get the truth from you." She retorted angrily. "The Avatar holds the spirit of the World. Everyone knows that. There is no way there could ever be two of them. I think Mako was right. I think it's pretty suspicious that you just _happened_ to show up to learn Airbending, after coming from an island no one's ever come across, and where people have more advanced tech than us benders. I think it's pretty suspicious how you know all about this Blackwatch group despite the fact that no one even saw them until the arena attack. And I find it pretty suspicious how you _apparently_ don't have many benders back home and yet you can bend all four elements without being an Avatar." She leaned in closer, fists ready to fight. "So talk Alex. Where are you really from, and how do you know Blackwatch so well?"

Alex got to his feet, his internal biomass clenching up for a fight. This wasn't something he really wanted to deal with right now. "And what if I _don't_ talk. Are you going to try and beat the knowledge out of me?"

"If I had to. If I can't trust you, then I don't want you anywhere near Tenzin and his family." His biomass stopped moving. She knew that she could never beat him. Hell, she was probably aware that he could kill her with ease. But instead of backing down, she was standing up to him. Not because she wanted to reclaim her title as Avatar, but to protect the people she cared about.

He supposed he could tell her a_ bit_ of the truth.

He sighed. "Ok, ok. Fine. You're right. I haven't told you the truth." He still couldn't tell her everything, but if he worded it right… "I'm not from a small island called America. I'm actually from another version of Earth. One where we never had the bending arts, spirits were seen as superstitious nonsense, and there are far more than just four nations."

Whatever she was expecting to hear, this clearly wasn't it. He kept going before she could interrupt him. "My world created inventions much sooner than your world, to make up for our lack of special powers. I don't know if our timelines are synched, but we invented the 'Satomobile' 240 years ago. The first concept of it was even older, having been thought of 97 years before _that_. By my time, we had progressed to far more adventurous devices. We've even had someone on the moon."

"You're completely full of it." Korra retorted. "Anyway, even _if_ I believed you were from another world, it still doesn't explain how you know Blackwatch."

"I was… a scientist working for Blackwatch." She just looked at him in confusion. He sighed. "My job was to study the world and everything in it, and figure out new things about it so we could manipulate it better. A good analogy would be when Toph Beifong discovered earthen elements in metal through her earth-sense, and created Metalbending from that.

"So what were you 'scientisting' for them?"

"I didn't find anything for them. My father, Alex Mercer Senior, created a super-soldier serum for them." She sighed again as he saw her blank look. This was what happened when he explained experimental technology to a backwater world. "A drink that makes you stronger. The first batch was highly lethal, but 'dad' still tested it on me. After that and his 'disappearance', I had a look into the guys I was working for. I found out some pretty nasty stuff, and got the hell out of there. They chased me, I got cornered next to some experimental technology, and then the next thing I know I'm on another world and bending all for elements."

"Really?" She scoffed. "You got force-fed something that made you so much stronger, and then you end up running to this world and getting all four elements? And all this _after_ apparently being some kind of genius? I'm not buying it. It sounds like someone's bad literature to me." Typical. He should've just gone the whole way and told her he was a monster.

"Yeah well, it's the truth."

"Why should I even believe you? You've always been hiding things for us. For all I know you _haven't_ told me everything."

"Well I don't care about what you believe." He stood up to leave. "I'm going off to hunt down some Blackwatch bastards. You go and do whatever inane stuff you've got planned."

Even having run to the docks, he could still hear her yelling in anger.

* * *

Lin wasn't feeling much better as she looked over the wreckage of the arena ring. The papers were tearing her to shreds after the Equalists managed to attack despite all her efforts. She had to find something to get the Equalists and their allies with, or else they'll be on her like a catgator on a chicken. As she turned away from the destroyed ring, she thought she spotted something abnormal over by the stands. She moved in quietly, ready to knock some heads together. She thought she caught a glimpse of something black and slithery, but as she crept round the corner of the seat she nearly walked into Korra. The young Avatar tensed up, her hands ready to attack, until she realised who it was.

"What are you doing here?" Lin asked angrily. "This is a crime scene. Civilians aren't allowed. At all."

"Sorry Lin." Korra's tone seemed more hostile than usual. "I figured I could try and find out something to help. It couldn't hurt to have another set of eyes, right?" Lin glared at her before sighing. She then turned around to look at several groups of her men. They still hadn't found anything. "How did the Equalists get in here? Didn't your men search them or something?"

"You can't search a few hundred thousand people without reason, and we didn't expect those gloves of theirs. At least I can explain how they slipped past us. But what I'm most concerned about it how that big fellow got in. There's no way someone that big could've just sneaked past us like that."

"He could've if he killed some Metalbenders. You should check if any guards are missing." Korra was looking around like an Eagle-hawk, her eyes almost glowing. She wasn't usually this aggressive and blunt. As much as Lin didn't like it, Korra was more vibrant and adventurous. But then she remembered the paper this morning, and the other article that had everyone talking.

"I see you heard that people think your friend is the _real_ Avatar." Lin said. "That must be difficult."

"Maybe. Alex doesn't seem to really care about that stuff. After people see how cold he is, they'll leave him alone." She started, looking closer at a nearby seat. She crouched below it, and Lin thought she could hear her sniffing like a polar dog.

"You think you found something?" If Korra could help them get a lead, then her career might be saved. She wasn't interested in saving it just to make her more important. But she couldn't protect her men or her city to the best of her abilities if she was relocated to a dead-end job. And what would Toph think of her?

"False alarm." Korra replied, standing back up. "I thought I spotted some oil. But it was probably just grease from some food. I should probably leave before I 'contaminate' the crime scene. And you should remember what I said about missing guards."

"Alright. I'll look into that Korra. What'll you do now?"

"I'm going to look somewhere else. Maybe someone in the poorer districts might know something."

"Just don't go overboard. People are just going to be less likely to talk if you beat them up for information. But I hope you find something."

"Sure." Korra left past the guards, who looked surprised that she managed to get past them. As they looked at each other in confusion, Lin could've sworn she saw her double over for a moment, her skin getting darker. But then she straightened up, and looked back to normal. Lin took her mind off the girl and back onto the job. She still needed to find a clue. Any clue.

"Chief." Officer Kwong said to her. She remembered him because his cousin started up Kwong's Cuisines. "We just got a tip about an Equalist supporter. Apparently Cabbage Corp may be housing Equalist materials."

"Right. We're on our way."

* * *

"…And in other news, Future Industries rival Cabbage Corp has been suspected of Equalist ties, with many Equalist related items found inside one of their warehouses." A reporter said over the radio. "When asked about whether they have been found guilty, Chief Beifong had this to say."

"The evidence points in that direction, but the investigation is ongoing." Lin said. "For the time being, we have frozen Mr. Gan-Lan's assets and are closing Cabbage Corp." Mako turned off the radio as the four friends drove back to the Sato mansion. They had just been out to the Future Industries race-track, where they test the satomobiles to make sure they worked perfectly. Korra was still feeling the rush of high-speed driving. It made her wish she knew how to drive.

"Good riddance." Mako said. "Now the Equalists can't use that as a staging ground anymore."

"Dad's going to be pleased." Asami agreed. "Not only are we stopping the Equalists, but his biggest rival is out for the moment." They drove a bit longer before Asami spoke up again. "So… Korra. I was just wondering something."

"What about?" Korra asked in a confused tone. She wasn't really sure what to think of Asami. The dark-haired girl had stolen Mako from her. Sure, she hadn't exactly told him before they met, but everytime she saw them together her blood would start burning. But Asami was too cool to hate. She was really nice. She didn't look down on someone because of their social class. Plus, she was tougher than she looked. Korra just decided to leave romance alone and like Asami for who she was.

"How exactly does… Alex manage to bend… all four elements?" Ah. No wonder she was so hesitant. She was probably worried that Korra was going to break down because she wasn't sure she was the Avatar anymore. Truthfully, she was worried about that too. Despite what she told Alex, she _did_ feel threatened by him. He was better than her in almost every way.

"I asked him that, and he doesn't really know. But you were right Mako. He's not from some lonely island. He says he's from another world."

Mako snorted. "_That's_ his excuse? He's from another world? At least the island fib was believable.

"So, is that why he got back up after having his face explode?" Bolin asked. "Cause I kinda wondered about that."

"Maybe." Korra wasn't sure whether to tell them about his 'association' with Blackwatch. It sounded like he was against them completely, even to the point of murder. She shuddered as she remembered the poor man he squashed flat. "All I know is that he makes me look like an amateur."

"You're not an amateur." Mako replied. "You're really good at what you do. It sounds a bit to me like he's just coasting along on some weird ability. I don't trust him."

"That makes two of us. I'm still getting a feeling he hasn't told me everything. Just enough to answer my questions. And I don't know why, but he has a lock on his bedroom door. I think he might be keeping an animal in there or something, cause there are claw marks everywhere."

Bolin gasped. "Or maybe he _is_ the animal. I mean, do you see him with an animal? Maybe at night he turns into a ferocious creature, and he locks himself away to avoid harming anyone." Mako and Korra looked at him in stunned silence. Even as weird as it sounded, he wouldn't think that Alex cared about anyone if they saw what he did.

"Maybe not." Korra replied as Asami pulled up at the mansion. As Bolin exited the satomobile, he suddenly doubled over slightly and held his hands over his crotch.

"I gotta go. Emergency, emergency." He started running up to the front door, nearly bowling over the butler as he ran in." Beep, beep. Need the little boy's room."

"Hey, is there another bathroom here?" Korra asked as she came in. One of the last places you realise you need to go is when you're on the back of a polar bear dog.

"Sure." Asami replied. "We have a lady's powder room upstairs, first door on your right. You can freshen up in there."

"Thanks."

* * *

Korra felt nervous as she met up with Tenzin and Lin, Mr Sato's phone call still playing in her head. She knew she was walking on a tightrope here. If she was wrong, then it was likely that her friendship with the guys was over. And she and Asami had been getting along so well. Not to mention it would mean the only one that would talk to her was a crazy moody rival. But if she was right…

Asami was going to be hurt either way.

"Alright Korra, what did you call us both here for?" Tenzin asked her as she approached.

"I overheard a conversation Mr Sato was having over the phone. He was saying that everything was going to plan, and that the Cabbage Corp investigation was buying them enough time. And then he said that by the end of the week they would be ready to strike. And I also heard him say they would be ready for Zeus, whatever that was."

"So, you think Mr. Sato manufactured those gloves for the Equalists then framed Cabbage Corp?" She saw Tenzin and Lin give her a dubious glance.

"I know, I don't have any proof. But I know what I heard. Sato's up to something." And the fact that he referred to something she'd never heard of could mean he was talking with Blackwatch.

Tenzin looked thoughtful. "Well, he certainly has the means to manufacture all that stuff."

"And the motive." Lin blurted out, an idea hitting her. Tenzin looked like he realised something too.

"That's right."

"A motive? What is it?" Korra was confused.

"Twelve years ago, the Agni Kai Triad robbed Sato's mansion. A Firebender killed Sato's wife during the break in. It was a dark day for him."

"And it may have created anti-bender feelings. Perhaps we should have a closer look at Mr Sato." They all nodded, before Lin spoke again. "What about the poorer districts? Did you have any luck there?"

"Wait. Poorer districts? What do you mean?" Korra asked.

"You told me that you were going to check out for any information there, when we talked at the arena this morning."

"I haven't been to the arena since last night. And I haven't talked to you until now."

"But if that wasn't you, then who did I talk to this morning?" Korra felt worried. Could the Equalists somehow disguise someone as her? Or was it Blackwatch? Her friends could be in danger.

"What did this 'other me' talk with you about?" She had to know. Maybe they could head her off or something.

"She showed up to try and find any clues to help capture the Equalists. Or at least find out how they got in. She said she found something, but that it was a false alarm. Probably was removing important evidence for her master." Lin looked very angry.

"Anything else?" A faint voice kept calling in her mind, trying to get her attention. She ignored it.

"Well, I thought her sharpness was because you were upset about that man being thought of as the 'real' Avatar. You said you weren't worried because Alex doesn't like the spotlight and he's too cold for people." Everything clicked together now. The quiet voice was a crowd shouting. Only one person could ever know so much about Alex.

_I knew he was still lying to me._

"Alex." She said aloud. "That who she was. It was Alex in disguise."

"Korra, I know you're upset about how people are thinking of him instead. I know you're upset that he can bend air when you can't make a gust. But there's a big step from that to being able to pretend to be you. It's impossible."

"For us maybe. But Alex has been hiding stuff from us. He's been lying ever since he got here. And he's dangerous."

"And what makes you think that?" Korra could see that Tenzin wasn't going to believe her if she told him the truth. Until now, she thought Alex had been lying still. Heck, he probably could've been still lying.

But it was all she had.

"Alex isn't from some island in the middle of nowhere. He pretty much told me that he and Blackwatch are from another world. And he and his family used to work for Blackwatch." They looked at her in surprise, but she had to keep going. "According to him, their world is exactly like ours, except that they don't have spirits and bending. They became more advanced to make up for that. And his dad made some kind of liquid that would make people stronger. It-it did _something_ to him, and gave him crazy strength. I don't think that cable he used was normal. And how could he have survived the damage he was given?"

"Korra, listen to yourself. Do you have any idea how crazy this sounds? You've got to stop changing facts to suit your own theories." She was losing him. She didn't want to do this. But she had to. They had to understand. "And this still doesn't make him dangerous. Fire Lord Zuko was the son of Ozai, yet he made all this. Just because your family has something to do with a bad group doesn't make you bad too."

"…Do you both remember the murder in the park?" They both looked a bit concerned that she brought it up. The Police wouldn't let the papers show the damage that was caused.

"Remember?" Lin said. "I was on the case. It was nasty stuff. I nearly lost my lunch seeing it. The poor guy was driven into the ground so hard we ended up having to remove the whole crater to get him out of there. And all the witnesses had different descriptions of the murderer. Why, do you think Alex did it?"

"I know he did it. Because I was there."

"You were **what**?"

"That guy was a member of Blackwatch. Alex took one look at him and flipped. It was like he was possessed. He grabbed the guy with one hand and well, you saw the damage."

Tenzin looked livid. As bad as the time she destroyed the Airbending course. "What!? You're telling me that Alex murdered someone, and you didn't tell us? He's been with my kids this whole time. He could've killed them!"

"I know. That's _why_ I didn't tell you. I… I was scared that if I told you, he might decide to… well…"

"You were afraid he'd silence all of you." Lin finished. "And you didn't think my Metalbending Corp could take him?"

"Actually, no I didn't." Korra sighed. When had this conversation gone from Sato to Alex? "And now that he can do more with the elements than I ever could, I'm even more certain. What do you think we should do?"

Lin thought it over for a bit. "Part of me wants to have him arrested for murder, but I'm not completely sure we could take him. For now, we'll just watch him and see how he fights. In the meantime, we still should investigate Mr Sato."

"Won't you suffer a backlash if you do that? Your position is very precarious." Tenzin asked.

"My post as chief of police will be over if I don't turn up _something_. I don't have any other choice." Korra sighed as they continued arguing. There. She told them about Alex.

Now she had to live with her choices.

* * *

The underground tunnels hissed and creaked as steam blew from pipes. Several large doors designed to stop speeding trains were now wrenched wide open. Sparks spluttered from broken cables. There were a few lights, but most of them didn't work.

The ones that did showed bloodstains everywhere.

Alex hummed to himself as he went through what was left of the systems. As soon as he smashed his way in, the Blackwatch guys in charge had set up the computers to scrub themselves clean. Then they killed themselves once he was smashing through their door with someone's corpse. They were good. Very good. But even with a scrub, he could still find out stuff if he moved fast enough. The _really _smart thing to do would be to just blow up the whole thing.

"Guess they forget I can pick a computer's brain as easily as I pick theirs." He muttered to himself as he looked through what was left. According to this, they were planning on launching satellites if they couldn't find a way back home. But there wasn't much else there. Even though he got something, he still had to admit that they did a good job scrubbing. He was about to shut it down when he noticed something. Something they missed.

Apparently, after Amon was done removing bending from people, they would be given to Blackwatch so they could study them and compare them to normal people. But at the same time, there was a half-ruined sentence about how they would abduct people that still had their bending. So that must mean that either Blackwatch had their own benders, or they were trying to find a way to turn people from back home into benders.

"Interesting." He said as he ripped the computer in half. One of the subroutines he found showed that the rest were notified if a system was scrubbed. He guessed they'd want a warning when something happened to an off-site. But there was not much else here, except weapons and trucks. He systematically smashed them all to smithereens, including the rockets. Now that he can Firebend, they just weren't needed at this rate.

It didn't take him long to leave the base, hopping out of a nearby sewer entrance. He noticed a lot of police trucks nearby, but he decided to ignore it all. Until he heard a familiar voice.

"No, I'm not! I don't care how cooperative Hiroshi is being, I know he's lying." Korra argued with Mako not too far away. Alex quickly changed into a mousy man with a weak moustache. He didn't have time to deal with Korra's arguing. But what she was saying intrigued him.

"Why are you doing this?" Mako asked angrily. "Are you _that_ jealous of me and Asami?" Korra gasped in shock of the statement.

"What? Don't be ridiculous! That has nothing to do with it!"

"If you don't drop this, then consider our friendship over."

"I'm sorry Mako. Hiroshi is _not_ the man you think he is." Mako glared at Korra, before leaving with Asami. Alex was very intrigued now. Hiroshi Sato, the Fire Ferret's supporter, was lying about something? Maybe he knew more about the Equalists than they thought. He watched as the Metalbending police left, and nearly missed a man slip a note into Korra's hand. She looked up wildly, but the man had already left on a truck. Alex got closer as she walked over to Beifong and Tenzin.

"I think you guys should hear this." She said before reading the note aloud. "If you want to find the truth, meet me under the north end of the Silk Road Bridge at midnight." She kept looking at it as Alex got a bit closer, before turning to face him and grabbing him. "Alright pal. You've been watching me for way too long. What do you want?"

"I'm delivering a message for Avatar Alex." He lied, watching as her eye twitched from his new title. "He says that if you are up to it, he would enjoy working with you against the Equalists."

Korra stared at him for a while longer, until her eyes lit up and she glowered. "Save it Alex. I know all about your 'meeting' with Beifong at the arena."

Clever girl. She figured out it was him. He was going to have to be more careful around her. "Fine." He said in his normal voice. "You've had a poor track record against Equalists. And I heard about your ambush at Aang Memorial Island. Surely you remember how my last fight went?"

"Which one? The one where it took a massive man to beat you down? Or the one where you 'accidently' killed three people? I don't need your 'help' Alex. All I want is for you to stay away from me."

"Now Korra, calm down." Tenzin said trying to smooth over the angry mood. "If Alex's up for helping us, then I see nothing wrong with it." His glances seemed different now. Whereas before they were filled with pride, now they seemed wary. Maybe Korra told him about his fights. If so, then Beifong might know too. And she would likely want his arrest. As he contemplated killing them all, he stopped. Was this going to be his life? Acting paranoid, killing people he suspected, and then running off to another city? It wasn't a life. Hell, he escaped that back home. He could do it here.

"Now then. Let's see what our new friend wants to tell us."

* * *

Corporal Daniels looked up as the man he wanted to see entered the room. He had been in here since he heard over the radio about the search of Future Industries warehouses for Equalist contraband. "Why search?" He asked in his broken Chinese. They had at least 4 guys that knew the language, but teaching all their men to speak the language took time, even with them focusing on higher ups first. Luckily, the natives of the Equalists understood them still.

"Avatar Korra overheard me talking to your boss over the phone." Mr Sato replied as he mopped his brow with a handkerchief. "But they won't find anything. As soon as we framed cabbage Corp, I had all Equalist items moved to under my mansion."

"Still risky." Daniels replied. "Not heard first in place. Eliminate."

"If I remember correctly, Amon said we weren't to touch her until the end. We don't want that bimbo becoming a martyr now do we?"

Daniels hesitated as he remembered his orders. "No." Still, he was a bit annoyed that Sato piled up names like that on the Avatar. She actually looked pretty stunning. If it wasn't for the fact that she was hanging out with Zeus and that Blackwatch was allied with her enemies, he might try to ask her out in his civilian identity.

"You know, I think this would be a good time to test out my newest invention. We lure the Avatars, Councilman Tenzin, and Chief Beifong out to somewhere they can't escape, show that benders are no match for us, and then we hold them until the end." The mention of Avatar**s** got Daniels' attention.

"Went blueprints. Good, but work." Sato stared at him a bit until he understood.

"You think my weapons need some work? Hardly. My creations are already the best around. You grunts might carry more advanced stuff, but it's clear that none of you invented it."

"Staff. No, Gu-un." That's what happens when you speak in a language that already had the word 'gun' for something else. They compromised with a longer sound to mean their guns. "Rocket. Boom. For Zeus."

"We've been over this. We need the support of the people. If your weapons are as dangerous as you say, then we can't use them without scaring people. Besides, your 'Zeus' isn't going to be a threat. Mercer's going down."

"Many say that. None come back."

"He is a man. A mere man, not some monster you think he is. He will fall, and fall hard." Mr Sato walked off in a huff, no doubt going to talk with Amon. While he did that, Daniels got out his radio.

"General. I just spoke with Mr Sato. He plans on luring several targets to an ambush to show his latest weapon."

"I see." General Redcliffe replied. "Does that include Zeus?"

"Yes sir. The fat idiot doesn't understand that Zeus isn't human. He won't add the modifications I suggested."

"Hmm. I don't think they'll do much good against Zeus anyway. But then again, not much seems to last against him. Have a back-up team ready to bail our 'genius' out. Tell them that _they_ can use whatever ordinance they need, as long as Sato escapes."

"Yes sir. Should we organise Cell 14 to watch Zeus?"

"Regrettably, we just received confirmation that Cell 14's systems were wiped." They all knew that a system-wipe meant they ran into Zeus. He was the only person apart from them that knew how to work a computer, or even what one was. "He _will_ pay for their deaths. But we should at least let Sato realise he should listen to us. In the meantime, start working on new blueprints. We need every advantage we can get."

"Understood."

* * *

Alex smiled as he booted the front door off its hinges. They all agreed to let him do the smashing, since being antisocial was one of his best skills. The Metalbenders behind him fanned out, holding their arms like they were using guns. Even on another world, some things never change.

"What are you doing here?" Asami asked angrily. Clearly everyone expected him to talk.

"We learnt that there's a factory right under you house, princess." He said, pushing past her. Asami merely scoffed at him.

"I think I would've noticed a secret factory right under my own house. The lies you people come up with just to persecute my father…"

"Oh spare me. You think you're the first person to find out their dad's a monster, or a crook? Now then, we'd like to have a 'chat' with him. Still, as I'm not a member of the police you're quite within your rights to refuse me. But then I can't guarantee the safety of all the fragile stuff in here. Ornaments, pictures, furniture. The walls."

"Get out." Mako growled at him, standing in front of Asami. Alex responded with a cold laugh.

"You think you can beat me? Haven't you heard the news?" He spread his arms in a grandstanding manner. "I'm the new Avatar."

"Look, we heard from an ex-Equalist that your dad made the gloves. And we know he's building a new weapon. And it involves something called Zeus." Alex's whole body went cold at that. Zeus. His codename. The one Blackwatch gave him when he started, to make him less human.

Enough being nice.

"You've caught me in a good mood, Miss Sato." He growled, pushing past Mako. The fool grabbed him by the shoulder, until he flicked him away. He kept going, subtly growing in height to tower over her. "So I'll ask you once. Where is your father?"

"I-In his workshop." Asami replied nervously. She led them through the mansion to it. He was going to have some very choice words with Sato. If he and Blackwatch were somehow making more of him…

"Well Zeus obviously means something to you Alex." Korra said as she got walked with him. "So spill. What is Zeus? Sato said his weapon would be ready for it, but we don't really know what that…"

"Hold on." Alex interrupted her. "You said his weapon _involved_ Zeus. You didn't say anything about it being _ready_ for Zeus."

"Well, that's because we _don't_ know if it's meant to be used by Zeus unless you tell us what Zeus is." Dammit. She got him there. Now he at least knew that no one was releasing Blacklight. But still…

"Zeus was their codename for me. Sato probably thinks he's got a weapon ready to kill me." They entered a large building hiding behind the mansion. No one was inside, and the door was the only way out.

"Dad?" Asami called out, looking confused. As they looked around, one of the officers approached Beifong.

"Chief, we've covered the whole property. No one's gone in or out of this room before us."

"Maybe we just didn't see him leaving." Beifong replied, moving into the center of the room. She raised one leg and slid away the metal to reveal her bare foot, before stomping the ground. Alex could feel the vibrations moving up and down him slightly as she did that. And by following them, he noticed an oddity in the back floor. Before anyone could react, he grabbed hold of the floor, revealing the metal panel it was made of, and threw the whole thing aside. Everyone stared at the downward-sloping tunnel he revealed.

"Do you think your dad knows about this?" Bolin asked Asami as she stared in shock.

"I… I don't understand." She stammered. "There must be some explanation."

"Maybe you don't know everything about your father." Korra said as she placed a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry."

Beifong was all business. "Officers, with me. Tenzin, Korra, Alex, you too. You three," she pointed at Mako, Bolin, and Asami, "you're to wait here with Officer Song. Move out." They walked down some stairs to find a massive elevator platform. You could fit a battalion on this. And it was sturdy enough to handle his weight. He pushed a nearby button, and the whole thing moved with a smooth jolt. It went straight down for nearly a minute before reaching another station. They moved in quickly and quietly, with only Alex appearing at ease. Considering the other weapons of this world, he was highly doubtful that Sato could accomplish what all of Blackwatch failed to do. They soon entered a brightly lit room big enough to be a Blackwatch carpool. There were humanoid tanks standing in rows not far from them, and giant posters of Amon hanging overhead.

"Looks like we found his _real_ workshop." Beifong said, before turning towards one of the tanks. "And this must be one of the new weapons." They all took a closer look at it. It appeared to be made of steel, riveted into place. It had a head like an old-fashioned fiver's suit, and two arms with three grippers each. Instead of feet, which would be very impractical, it had two large treads instead, along with a smaller third behind it. All in all, it looked even more fragile than the ones back home.

"Well, Hiroshi was lying alright." Tenzin said. "But where is he?" Suddenly, a massive wall of metal rose and blocked off the entrance back up. The room went nearly dark, save for some lights still around the place. Beifong stood in front of the wall and tried to move it, but somehow it resisted her attempts.

"I'm afraid you won't be able to metalbend that wall, Chief Beifong." They heard Sato speak through a radio as green lights turned on. The mechas started moving, the pilots clearly having been inside. "It's solid platinum. In fact, my mecha tanks are platinum as well. Not even your renowned mother could bend a metal so pure."

Korra stepped forward, looking even more pissed than usual. "Hiroshi, I _knew_ you were a lying no-good Equalist. Come out here and.."

"And do what, False Avatar? Face the wrath of your bending? No. I think I'll stay here, where my odds are a little more… equal."

"This was a set-up." Beifong realised. "You meant for us to find this place."

"Guilty as charged. And you, Alex Mercer. I don't know what's so special about you, but my allies seem to think you're some kind of 'boogieman'. They even give you a pretentious title. What does Zeus even mean? Well, no matter. Once I bring you all in, then they'll realise that my technology will soon outpace whatever they brought from their homes."

Alex smiled as he heard Sato say that. They hadn't told him the truth. Oh sure, they might've told him how strong Alex was. But they didn't fully explain what he was capable of. Or maybe they did, and Sato was just too arrogant to listen. Well, that will be his downfall.

"Where we come from, there is a pantheon of gods. And their king is called Zeus." He laughed as his skin hardened into armour, claws growing on one hand and tendrils danced on the other. "A fitting name, as I was their greatest creation. And everything about me was a pure accident." He fired off his tendrils, wrapping a tank until it started crumbling under them. Then he pulled himself closer as the tank drove backwards. While the pilot tried to dislodge him, and the others started fighting, he drove his claws through the glass windows. The pilot gurgled as his claws went through bone, before he used them to devour the brain and the soul. He quickly crushed it down before skimming through all the knowledge he just obtained. Now he could drive one of these, but that would be like a soldier using a toy gun to kill someone. It wasn't worth the effort. He quickly looked back to see how everyone was doing. The police officers had grabbed two of them with their cables, trying to hold them in place. Beifong was using daggers to stab another mecha, while Korra and Tenzin worked to knock Sato around. He also saw Mako and Bolin crawled out of a hole they made.. Alex smiled to himself behind his face. Time for some more fun. He formed a blade, before jumping high overhead and slicing through a mecha limb. The officers fell over as they lost the tension, and the mecha spun around wildly as it lost purchase. As it passed bay him, Alex spun his whole body in a circle, slicing the mecha in half along with the pilot. He then rushed towards the next one just as it grabbed the Metalbender cables and electrocuted them. Alex yelled as he felt the electricity course through him, while the officers fell unconscious. But Alex wasn't going to fall from that. He reformed his hands into his hammerfists, and the unlucky pilot learnt quickly what happens when over 500 kg's of mass is slammed into your mech multiple times. By the time Alex was done, the mech was a pile of scrap leaking blood. He quickly looked to see Beifong was helping the others with Hiroshi, who was trying to attack Korra. But the Avatar was far too fast for him, dodging his blows. But none of them seemed to be able to stop him. Alex fired off his whipfist, using it to pull himself towards Sato. The mecha crumpled under his weight, and he pulled out the dazed inventor. It would be so easy to just kill him and consume him. To take his knowledge. Such a high-ranking member of the Equalists might know where Blackwatch was situated.

"No! Stop!" He heard Asami scream. He saw out the corner of his eye her running towards him along with everyone else still conscious. "Please Alex don't."

"He tried to ambush us and give us to the Equalists. I think he deserves this."

"No he doesn't." Korra said. "Alex, you don't have the right to just kill someone like that. He's defenceless now. Or are you just so obsessed with Blackwatch that you're willing to kill anyone to get to them."

"Do you know what Blackwatch are planning Korra? They're abducting as many people as they can. Mostly benders and former-benders so they can see how they do it. We're never going to see them again, and I don't doubt that Airbenders and the Avatar are high on their list of people to grab. And don't think they'll leave Pema alone just because she's pregnant. They'll probably pull out the baby just to dissect him." He could see Tenzin getting angrier by the minute.

"Sato is not a member of Blackwatch." He said with difficulty. "He's just a part of the Equalists. We can take him in for questioning, find out where they are that way." But Alex was unmoved. Everyone could see that.

"Korra told us about the man you killed in the park." Beifong said to him. Looks like his paranoia was right. But he probably scared her so much she got over her caution. "How about a deal then? If you give Sato to us, alive and unharmed, then I'll… I'll…" it seemed to physically hurt her to speak. "…I'll 'misplace' the file on the man's death. And the part where Korra gave an eye-witness response."

"…Agreed." Alex replied. While it wouldn't be hard to break out of jail, it was a waste of time and effort. It would be far better to just avoid it all together. He moved to drop Sato, when a large sword sliced through his arm. The armour was thick, but even it had limits. He grunted as it fell, before hearing the click of guns. He barely got a large shield in place before bullets pounded against it, shaving off biomass with every round. He forced more biomass until the shield covered everyone, looking through it to see Sato running away. His arm sneaked back and joined up again, but that was moot. He could chase after him, but then everyone else would be dead. Most of the souls were screaming at him to save his allies.

Being in charge of the biomass was great. But he had to listen to the majority, or risk losing control.

"Everyone back to the hole!" He shouted. We need to get out of here!" They all stared, before moving to grab the officers that were still out of it. He gritted as they took so long to move, his biomass getting thinner with every second. That pilot had been a good pick-me-up, but it wasn't going to last forever. As everyone but Korra had gone down, he took another peek. And saw a soldier with a rocket launcher.

"We're out of here!" He said as he pushed Korra down before following her. The rocket slammed into the shield he left behind as they made their escape. He could hear them burn it to ash. Luckily, that should take some time before they could follow them. He made it thick enough to last a while.

If they had rockets ready, then he was going to have to wait another day. One where he was more certain he could escape if he had to.

"I'm sorry I didn't believe you, Korra." Mako apologised on the air flight away. "It's just so hard to believe, even now."

"I hurts, knowing that someone you trusted wasn't who you thought they were. Believe me, I know." Alex told him. Memories of Flint threatened to overwhelm him. And…

Don't think about her.

"I'm sorry this all happened." Korra said. "Especially to Asami."

"So ... does your offer to live in the Air Temple still stand?"

"It does. And Asami's welcome to join us."

"Thank you." Mako turned to leave, but Korra placed a hand on his shoulder.

"After everything she's been through, she's going to need you Mako." He nodded, before moving to comfort his girlfriend. As Alex watched, he was besieged by images of people's lovers, their friends, their spouses. It threaten to overwhelm him.

He hoped he wasn't losing control.

**Yes, I know that some people are going to complain because Alex showed mercy to Sato, or because he ran instead of fighting. Yes, I know he could outrun the soldiers inside that massive room. But Alex prefers fighting when he thinks he knows everything. The fact that he didn't know how big the squad was, or where another exit would be, meant he was forced to act more cautious at the end. Plus, he was running low on biomass. All the damage the night before and during the shield burnt up a lot of biomass. And as I mentioned, Alex would prefer to not be on the run from the law constantly. He's worried that if he isn't Alex Mercer most of the time, he might lose control of his body. And I hope the democracy thing helps explains some things. He can only suppress the other souls for so long. It's in his best interest to not rile them up.**

**And for those of you wondering, I'm planning to go through all four books when they're done. Some things will change, but others won't. it all depends on what ideas I come up with.**

**Also, by now everyone should know that Hiroshi was an Equalist, so I included a small scene where we see another Blackwatch member. Not all of them are complete monsters. Some of them are just willing to do anything for their mission. So Daniels' against Korra more because she hangs out with Zeus than the fact they're enemies.**


	4. My Name is Legion and I Must Scream

**Well, here we go. Another chapter. And this is where the Krew realise Alex is definitely **_**not**_** normal. Korra's going to get a freak-out, we see a more human side to Blackwatch, and we get to see Alex be the terrifying monster he really is. This chapter goes to TuxedoGreymon, who is desperate to see the next chapter before he goes for his kidney transplant. I hope you enjoy this TuxedoGreymon, and you get better soon.**

Chapter 4: My Name Is Legion and I Must Scream

Daniels was glad his helmet covered his face, or else everyone would see him smiling. Hiroshi Sato was livid after his tanks failed so completely, most of them barely salvageable. They were both at a meeting with their leaders, General Redcliffe and Amon. They were trying to figure out what to do now. Well, _they_ were. Sato was too busy shifting the blame and worrying about his daughter.

"…Completely in the dark." Sato was saying angrily. "If it wasn't for the team of Blackwatch soldiers you assigned me without my permission, I would've died. This failure is your fault."

Redcliffe looked at him for a while before speaking. "According to Corporal Daniels, he told you many times to be wary of Zeus. But you just saw him as a mere man, as just another Avatar. Zeus is far more than that, and must be treated like you'd treat a natural disaster."

"Well I know that _now_. And my little girl is with him. Maybe if you lot _explained_ how dangerous he was, I could've made some contingencies. We have to save her."

"Out of the question. I will not risk another team in a suicidal mission to save one person, no matter how important they are to you." Sato looked like he was going to explode until Amon raised a hand.

"Gentlemen, this is not the time to argue." He said, his expression hidden behind his mask. "According to the General, Mercer's normal behaviour would be to just kill everything in sight, including you. The fact that he isn't could mean he wishes to keep a low profile, to make _us_ seem like the villains. I imagine that as long as someone else is with her at all times, he won't make a move against her. But still, he can't be with her at all times. As soon as he isn't around, we should have a team rescue her. In the meantime, let's rework the mecha-tanks. Redcliffe, do you have any suggestions?"

"I assigned Corporal Daniels to that task. He was an engineer before we recruited him." Daniels nearly sighed in exasperation as everyone turned to him.

"Sir, permission to speak through you so I don't sound like a complete idiot?" The General looked at him before nodding. At least he could speak in English now. "Despite their dismal performance, I believe we should keep focusing on them. While the heavier armour of our tanks back home made them capable of handling most Infected, Zeus and Heller have merely used them as punching bags over and over again, when they don't just hijack them for fun. Perhaps we should focus on manoeuvrability and speed instead of armour. We'll also need to equip heavy and lethal weaponry to them."

"Hardly." Sato argued once Redcliffe finished translating. "We _need_ the support of the public. Non-benders outnumber benders by about 3 to 1. With such large numbers, we can overwhelm the bending oppressors. But if we start using lethal weapons, then people will stop supporting us."

"Permission to call him a fat idiot?"

"Denied. Either you be tactful, or I will." Redcliffe responded.

"Certainly sir. Then tell Mr Sato that as he likes to keep pointing out, the electrified weapons he used were useless against Zeus. We have spent years training to combat threats like him. If we recommend our weapons, then perhaps he should consider them. Zeus can only fight for as long as he has biomass. If we inflict enough damage, then he will be forced to run for safety. Even if we can't kill him, it should give us enough time to achieve our goals." He unfurled the blueprints he had been carrying, showing the redesigns he made for the mecha-tanks. "With Zeus, you can't pussyfoot around. You need to hit him hard and fast. You give him a moment to re-orientate himself, and he'll slaughter you. Of course, such an important decision surely belongs with your leader." Amon just stood there, his thoughts unknowable to anyone else.

"Proceed." He said. "But make sure to avoid casualties. While I accept that your mission against Mercer comes first, we still need public approval."

"Of course."

* * *

Daniels was glad that the meeting was now over. Now the problems were left to his team and Sato. They can work out all the kinks from now on. Right now though, he had to figure out how to watch Asami Sato without Zeus or the Metalbending police spotting him.

"Hey, Jackie." His best friend David shouted as he slapped him on the shoulder. The sandy-haired man was completely out of place in Blackwatch, and Daniels was glad for that. They needed a few laughs. "This place is getting way too crowded ever since we let the Equalists in. One of them shouted at me for a bit until I realised he thought my bed was his. We had to come to a little 'agreement' over whose bed belongs to whom. We gotta get out of here, catch some local tastes."

"We kind of stand out David. I haven't seen anything except dark hair since we got here. Besides, I need to figure out a mission for the General."

"Yeah, yeah I get it. Top secret. Sick a D-Code on me if I keep digging, yadda-yadda-yadda. But even you need some downtime." David changed tactic when he saw he wasn't getting to him. "You know, I was thinking of inviting Williams along."

That did it. Daniels had a bit of a crush on Williams. She was a very beautiful woman, even in the baggy uniforms they had. She actually looked better in the black skin-tight uniform some of the newer members wore. Right now she was talking to another soldier, her helmet off to reveal short, no-nonsense black hair. Rumours were that she was meant to be another improved soldier, just as strong as the Orions by being closer to a Runner.

Guess Daniels had a thing for strong, beautiful women.

As he wondered how he could pass his mission over and go with them without Redcliffe cutting him down, a brilliant idea came to him. "Alright then. Go and get her for us. I need to requisition some specialised gear."

"Boo." David said as he walked over to her. He could hear them chatting as he weaved through the large crowd of milling people. Even without the uniforms, it was easy to tell between Equalists and Blackwatch. The former just didn't act like soldiers. They wore their inexperience on their sleeves. If they ever went up against Zeus, they would be animals heading to the slaughter.

And if he screwed up, so would he and his friends.

* * *

Korra smiled as she watched the Air Acolyte boat approach, carrying her friends over. Mako, Bolin, and Asami had all taken the fact that Sato was now on the run to quickly grab anything they needed. Hopefully, staying away from Sato mansion would keep them safe. And help Asami handle the fact that her kind, caring father was an Equalist. She shuddered as she thought of how easily she could've become an orphan. Alex had his hands around Sato's throat, wearing that creepy armour that came from nowhere, and the only thing that stopped him was the offer of ignoring his murder. What would've happened if he just didn't care?

"You're finally here!" Ikki shouted excitedly, rushing over to meet them. "Welcome to Air Temple Island. Your brand new home!"

"Yes. Welcome to my domain." Meelo added.

Bolin laughed as he came down the ramp with Pabu on his shoulder. "Well, aren't you sweet, little monk child." He bowed to them, as Pabu ran over to greet Naga.

"What's that?" Meelo asked, as he looked between his legs as Pabu went past.

"That is a Fire Ferret." Jinora explained. "An arboreal mammal common to the bamboo forest of the central Earth Kingdom."

"He's cute!" Ikki shouted right next to her sister's ear. Jinora started rubbing it as Ikki and Meelo ran around, chasing poor Pabu.

"Thanks for sending the Air Acolytes over to help." Mako said as he and Asami stepped off the boat. "They've been a great help."

"I know." Korra replied, eyes widening as she saw the massive pile of bags the Acolytes were carrying. "But I was kinda expecting you to bring only a few things. When I got here, I only had a change of clothes on me."

"Trust me, things could've been worse."

Yes, they could've." Tenzin said as he came down the stairs to the dock. "I remember when Pema moved in. I think my father and I nearly broke our backs carrying everything." He bowed to Asami. "Welcome. I hope you find your stay here pleasant."

"I think I will, Councilman Tenzin." Asami replied, curtsying back. Tenzin took a long look at her pile of bags before turning to Korra.

"Korra, I know things have been awkward around here lately, but could you please ask Alex to help carry Asami's bags for her? It might be a bit much for the Acolytes alone."

Korra sighed, making a face at having to see Alex again. "Fine. It might give him some humility, being delegated to a pack mule." She rushed up the steps, wanting to get Alex working quickly so she could show Asami to her quarters. And so she wouldn't have to spend longer in his presence than she had to.

"Alex!" She shouted, banging on his door. "Wake up, you lazy moron. We need you to carry Asami's bags for her." She waited for an answer, but nothing came. "Hey! Wake up already!" She banged louder, then placed her ear against the door. It was so quiet, but she thought she could hear whispering. Lots of whispering. Did he have a party in there or something? "If you don't get out here by the count of 3, I'm going to bust this door wide open! 1…2…" She went to rip the door open, but was surprised as it moved smoothly. "3-wahh!" She fell down, grunting as she hit the hard floor. She looked up to find the room dark except for the opening. She looked at the door to find the lock was broken into tiny pieces. Quick movement made her look back at the bed, where something was hidden under the covers. Now she was inside, she could hear the whispering better. It was in some strange language, but she could've sworn it was the same as what Alex said to that 'D-Code' from the arena. "Alex? Are you ok?" She was starting to get scared now. But Korra never backed down. She tried to face her fears head-on. She stepped closer and closer, now seeing long strands extending from under the covers. She nearly touched Alex until one side of the covers lifted, revealing a young boy's face. The rest of him was hidden in shadows, with only red lines pulsating behind him.

He opened his mouth, but only more gibberish came out. Korra nearly asked who he was, until she remembered Alex disguising himself as her. "Very funny Alex. Pretending to be a kid isn't going to get you out of work. Now get out from under…" As she spoke, she pulled the cover off and grabbed his jacket. Only, she didn't touch a jacket. She touched something slimy, something sticky, something… alive. And she could hear a symphony of screams. She felt herself getting pulled into a dream. But it was clearly a nightmare. Images after images assaulted her, most of them red with blood and gore. Words she could understand pierced her ears until she thought they were bleeding. And she saw the same thing, over and over again. A man in creepy armour, killing her again and again.

And then it all blurred into one continuous horror.

* * *

"Once Korra gets Alex to finally wake up, your possessions will be moved into your quarters." Tenzin was saying to Asami, Mako, and Bolin. "In the meantime, Meelo can show Mako and Bolin to the men's dormitory. Meanwhile Ikki will…"

They never learnt what Ikki would be doing, as they were interrupted by piercing screaming. Korra. Mako recognised her voice anywhere. They all ran as fast as they could. This wasn't 'I saw a mouse and I'm scared' sort of scream. This wasn't even possibly an 'I had a nightmare about Amon taking my bending' scream. It was like Korra had run into something that was tearing her apart, ripping her to shreds, and she couldn't do anything but let it. If Alex was hurting her, he was going to give him a scar that'll make Lord Zuko's look pleasant. They rounded the last tree to see Korra standing outside a lone room, shaking in terror. And she was burning the room with the longest fire stream Mako had ever seen. As they watched, she stopped screaming just long enough to take a breath, before screaming just as loud again, the fire still blazing away.

"Korra! What are you doing!" Tenzin shouted as monks came running over with buckets of water. "Alex is in there!" But if she could hear him, she gave no sign. She just kept screaming and burning the room down to the ground. Mako moved in and used his own Firebending to try and stop her attack, grabbing her by the arms. As soon as they touched, she stopped moving and slumped into his arms, taking deep breaths. He held her close, keeping her arms pinned to stop her from doing more bending. As the monks threw some water onto the fire, a high-pitched monstrous shriek came from the burning building. It exploded as something came shooting out of it. It lashed out at the buckets with black tendrils, splintering them into fragments. As the monks ran screaming, Mako got a better look at the thing.

It was a writhing mass of shadows, limbs sprouting everywhere as it changed shape. More screams echoed from it as it stretched and contracted, getting taller before shrinking to the size of Pabu. And the faces. By the spirits, the faces. Dozens of people oozing out of the shadows, some of them deformed, others were glaring in hatred, but all of them screaming at them. This must've been what Korra was trying to burn. It scuttled in their direction before it nearly split in two, the other half going towards the city. It shrieked one more time as tendrils exploded upwards, bonding and fusing together to make four giant wings. They all nearly got blown away as a massive gust lifted the creature high into the air, before it flew away from them. Towards Republic City.

"What the flameo was that thing?" Bolin asked. Mako just looked down at Korra, who had fainted from a lack of energy.

"I don't know Bolin." He replied, carrying her inside. "But whatever that _thing_ was, Korra thought it would be best to destroy it." But inside, he was asking the same questions too.

What could've scared Korra so much?

* * *

"…_I thought you were dead… When we hunt, we kill… Nothing, her brain was fried by the virus… we wanted to track it in the population. Harmless stuff… __unless you want to pull shit patrol until your momma forgets what you look like… the changes are instantaneous…When it __**does**__ manifest, it makes the Idaho strain look like the common cold…"_ Korra was trapped. Trapped in her own mind, her nightmare. Skulls, skulls everywhere. Pain, suffering. It hurts. It hurts so much. Wake up, wake up, wake up…

"AAAHHHH!" She screamed as she struggled free of whatever was wrapped around her. It was Blacklight. It was the Infected. They found her, they followed her. Voices echoed in her head, but she couldn't understand them. She had to get free, she had to get free, SHE HAD TO GET FREE!

"Korra!" Mako shouted at her, pulling the sheet off her. "It's ok. You're safe. That _thing's_ gone now." He gently pushed her back down to the bed. Bed. That's what it was. Not slab. Not morgue. She… who was she?

_Um, hello._ A voice in her head said. _You're Korra, the Avatar of the whole world? The only person that can bend all four elements that __**isn't**__ a freaky monster from another world? How can you forget all that stuff? It's all you really know._

"Korra." Tenzin said calmly to her. "What happened? You went to get Alex, and the next thing we know you're burning his room down."

"Korra…I-I had…Alex…" _"…As of last night, Alex Mercer is the number one terrorist threat in the United States…_ _The target exhibits a classic low-affect personality…I need to know what you know…I wasn't paid to feel…"_

"Breathe Korra." She was now lying on her side, her throat burning and a puddle of vomit on the floor. "Just breathe. And take your time."

"Korra… didn't know." She cried. "Alex…not human. Not human at all. Lied about everything. Always lies. Always _must_ lie. Monster is Alex. Alex is Monster. One and the same."

_But which one's worse? _Her inner self giggled._ Alex is mean, he doesn't like people. But monster acts without thinking. Just following orders. At least Alex likes Korra. Korra got Alex to be gentle, to be nice. Korra and Alex, sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G._

"I knew that freak was still lying to us." Mako said angrily. "When I get my hands on him…"

"NO! Bad! Bad! Alex too strong. Alex weapon. Made Alex. Pain, so much pain."

"…_can manipulate his body on a genetic level…She was a damn test subject…The square root of this number is…"_

_Boy, you __**really**__ need help. You're not going to talk to them when you can't even get your brain to work properly. Still, you'd look cute in white. But the long sleeves aren't really you._ She brushed it aside as best as she could. This 'other' was right. She had to get a grip on herself.

"Alex… he was a mistake. He worked for Blackwatch, studying a monster. Alex got bitten by it, and changed. He stopped being human and…"

"…_We have no clue what it is capable of… It's a security nightmare… You're not my brother…Oh God, he's found me…He's in the building…"_

"_I know."_

"Hold her steady." Tenzin was shouting when she came back up. They were all holding her down by her limbs, with Ikki having her hand down Korra's throat. Korra gagged as she relaxed, causing them all to back away slightly. She spat out goblets of blood. She must've bitten herself. "Korra, you don't need to talk if you don't want to. I've already called Lin about that… monster. She and the police can handle him."

"No they can't." She said darkly. They didn't know. They _couldn't_ know. They hadn't seen what she had. Hundreds and thousands of souls all screaming. All in pain. Most had gone against Alex. And lost.

_So then tell them. But try and use your words this time. While you going crazy is funny, it doesn't leave the impression of someone that knows what they're talking about._

"Blackwatch had been made to fight things like him, and he just tore them apart. They knew everything, and they kept losing. The Metalbenders aren't going to do any better."

"Korra, I know you're scared. But Lin knows what she's doing."

"No, she doesn't. Why is this so hard to explain?" She was nearly tearing her hair out in frustration. "Alex is unlike anything we know. He's too strong."

"Maybe we could try reasoning with the spirit." Pema suggested. Korra stopped as she tried to understand her logic. Spirit? They thought Alex was a spirit? No, no. Wrong. Not a spirit. Something more.

"I'm not too sure." Tenzin replied. "My father always warned me to be careful with face-stealers."

"Face-stealer. Body-stealer. Mind-stealer. Soul-stealer. All those things. But not." Korra looked up from her mumblings to see everyone looking at her like she was crazy. _Which you are. You looked into the mind of a god-like monster, and you clearly haven't come out in one piece._ She cleared her throat, and tried to talk normally again. "Alex can become other people completely by eating them. He would know everything they'd know, everything they learnt. In a sense, he _is_ them."

Tenzin now looked a bit worried. Korra must've finally gotten through to him. "Alright. I'll give Lin another call; tell her to be more careful around Alex. But the police can still hand him." At that moment, something in Republic City exploded, startling them. Korra looked at it in horror. It was starting. Alex was attacking, killing, devouring.

"I have to go and help." She said firmly, moving to get out of bed. But Mako and Bolin stopped her, pushing down on her shoulders.

"You're not going anywhere Korra." Mako said firmly. "You're still weak after your panic attack."

"That wasn't a panic attack." Korra denied hotly. "I'm feverish because I looked into Alex's soul. That's _why_ I have to go. I know Alex better than anyone else. Without me, you'll never be able to figure out what attack he's going to use." She glared at them all, making it very clear they weren't leaving without her.

Alex had to be stopped.

* * *

"Man, that brothel was bullshit." David moaned as they walked down the streets, keeping Air Temple Island in view. "I've been on active duty for 14 months, and the bastard wouldn't even use my Yuans. We should burn the place down."

"Starnes, you offered the guy _dollars_. Of course he refused. And how exactly is burning down a brothel 'winning the public' or 'keeping a low profile'?" Daniels asked, amused by the whining. It felt good to go out and act like a civilian.

"Wait, we're trying to keep a low profile? We just declared war on the city. We should be blowing shit up for the sake of it."

"And that's exactly why we _need_ to keep a low profile." Williams added, keeping an eye out for police. "Besides, how do you think General Redcliffe would react if he knew you were disobeying orders?"

"Yeah, yeah, alright. But I'm still going to tag the front door of that place the first chance I get."

"Duly noted." She smirked back at him. Then she turned to Daniels. "So what's the mission exactly? Besides, just getting some leave?"

"Sato wants us to go and get his daughter back from Zeus as soon as possible." He replied. Williams just stared at him in horror.

"Fuck. That. I am _not_ going up against Zeus just to grab some girl. Tell Sato that he can go and fuck himself."

""I dunno." David mused. "Is she pretty? I'm willing to piss Zeus off if she's a fine piece of ass."

"Really? You're willing to go up against the thing that nearly wiped out Blackwatch and survived everything we threw at it, all for a girl?"

"None of us are going up against Zeus." Daniels interrupted firmly. "The plan is to grab her when she's nowhere _near_ Zeus. We wait for either of them to leave Air Temple Island, we go and rescue her, we make our benefactor happy, everyone's happy. Got it?" They both nodded, Williams looking relieved. After the mess of New York Zero, they've all learnt how dangerous Zeus can get. "Good. Now we'll just wait around here for any activity. Hopefully, nothing goes wrong."

He barely finished saying that when an explosion happened not too far from their location. As David started laughing, Daniels sighed and got out his radio. They had it tuned to police scanners to help learn anything useful over the airwaves.

"This is police unit 4 18, we have an attack on the docks. Not too sure what it is, but I'm thinking it might be a spirit of some kind." The radio squawked.

"Roger that, 4 18. What does it look like?" Police Command asked.

"I'm… not really sure. It keeps changing shape. It's large, black, with some fire billowing inside… Spirits! It just ate a guy. Grabbed it with tentacles and pulled him in. And now that guy's face is dancing around with all the other faces.

"Multiple faces? Chief Beifong gave out a bulletin for a creature matching that description. We're sending any available units to help you."

"Thanks. Wait. It's saying something. I can't understand it though."

"Put it on speaker, and we'll see if we can make some headway." The radio squealed as the officer moved closer. Now they could all hear the words.

"When we hunt, we kill!" A thousand voices said at once. "No one is safe! Nothing is sacred! We are Blackwatch! We are the last line of defence! We will burn our own to hold the red line! It is the last line to ever hold!" They all looked at each other in pure horror. Daniels fumbled with the radio.

"Red Crown, this is Corporal Daniels!" He shouted into it. "Zeus is on a rampage! I repeat, Zeus is on a rampage!"

"Oh shit!"

* * *

Korra thought things would be pretty bad when they got to Republic City on Oogi, Tenzin's Flying Bison. She thought the brief glimpses she got into Alex's head would prepare her for the damage. But she was wrong.

It was much worse than she could imagine.

Alex was much bigger now, easily bigger than even the tower at Air Temple Island. Tendrils lashed out at everything while limbs grew and shrank like crazy. Metalbenders surrounded him, lashing out with their whiplines to slice through Alex. But he just healed it over as soon as they passed through, if they even managed to break through at all. As they watched, one line was stuck and pulled in, dragging an officer screaming after him. He tried to detach his cable, but was moving too slow. Only a whip from another officer slicing through the trapped cable saved him from dying. They quickly landed and jumped off, while Oogi took to the skies again. They found Lin not too far away.

"Keep an eye on your squadmates at all times!" She was shouting while throwing boulders at Alex. "Keep your distance, and get any civilians out of here!" She turned to see their group approaching. "That includes you and your friends, Korra. Though since you're here, perhaps you could tell me WHAT THE FLAMEO IS THAT THING!?"

"That's Alex." Korra said, breathing hard as things she saw threatened to overwhelm her. But she wasn't going to panic. The city needed her and her knowledge. "He's actually a weapon, made by Blackwatch by accident. He's meant to be completely unstoppable.

"I'm starting to see that." Lin said, watching as Alex healed from another slash. But as they watched, he just stopped moving. "He's not doing anything! Hit him with as many boulders as you can." Everyone immediately started Earthbending boulders twice their size at Alex, with Bolin and Korra joining in. They pounded him with them, but Alex just healed over them, as though they weren't there. Korra could now feel the air push against them, heading inwards towards Alex. A niggling feeling kept breaking her concentration, stopping her from bending. Tenzin helped her move away. Air rushing in. Air rushing in. Air rushing…

_It hurt so much. Her whole body ached as a wave of force pushed against her. She could hear everything around her shake and fly. A tank bashed into her, and she slammed into a building with all the glass shattering. A monstrous roar echoed in her head as her ears bled…_

"Everyone! Move! He's about to roar!" She screamed as she realised what was happening. She led everyone near her behind a building, while she saw out of the corner of her eye the other officers hiding behind another building. She got them moving just in time. The air stopped moving, leaving only silence.

Then, he roared.

The noise was deafening. Korra screamed in pain as it became a literal wave of force, sending satomobiles and mason flying. The boulders they had thrown thundered into the building, causing dust to fall on them as cracks formed. The building shuddered, threatening to collapse on top of them. The officers bended pillars of rock to hold the building up. As Alex finished roaring, the silence was almost as overwhelming as the roar had been. Lin led her officers back out, leaving the others gasping for breath.

"Ok Korra." Mako said to her. "You said you knew how to beat him. So help us beat him."

"I _said_ I knew his powers. That's not the same as beating him. If I hadn't come along, you'd all have been killed by that attack."

"Well then, what's he weak against?" She tried to remember if any mention of his weaknesses came up in the memories she saw. It was… difficult.

"Water." She replied. "Whatever he's made of is adverse to water. It scares him. And fire. Lots and lots of fire." Mako nodded, before running back out into the fight. He unleashed a solid stream of fire, filling the air with the smell of burnt meat. Korra meanwhile, was driving Alex back with water pulled from broken pipes. But after a few passes of their attacks, their bending went strange. Mako's fires fizzled out, while the water went shooting back at Korra as ice. She looked up to see Alex's body growing small hands that used standard bending motions. She groaned. Great. Alex can still bend in this form. Now what were they going to do? As she was almost hypnotised by the pulsating biomass, a memory came to mind…

_Alex was standing in the middle of a massive battle. He had just eaten a Blackwatch commander, and was now shaking like he was cold. He pushed his arms out to the sides, and…_

"Create walls! He's going to unleash a Devastator." No one questioned her, working as fast as they could to make the biggest walls they could. And just in time, as the sound of dozens of tendrils smacking into them filled the air. But Korra had underestimated the mass behind the tendrils. Several of them broke through, punching through several officers. They yelled in pain as others pulled them away, but the walls fell apart from the attacks. Korra was ready to try again, when she saw herself. A tendril had gotten shorter and thicker until it appeared as a demented version of herself. The other her screamed in a mixture of fury and pain, her mouth stretching unnaturally wide. Razor-sharp teeth filled her mouth as small tendrils pockmarked her skin. And she was topless, growing at least three breasts.

"_So_ not how I wanted to see you." Bolin said, bending a rock at the other her. She merely grabbed it and threw it back. Korra slumped as they duck the attack. This was hopeless. They were never going to beat Alex. It was all they could do to avoid getting eaten. How could they stop him?

Then, a familiar sound reached her ears. The sound of wind hitting a rotor blade. The grinding of tank tracks against the road. She looked over the barricade to see helicopters buzzing around in the sky, and tanks driving up the roads.

Blackwatch had arrived.

* * *

"This is 4 Niner Echo." The pilot said into the comms. "All units have Zeus in sight, and are awaiting further orders."

"Roger that, 4 Niner." General Redcliffe responded. "Daniels, what's your position?"

"Just outside Suki's tea house on third." Daniels said into the radio. "I have a clear sight on all targets. VIP is with the Avatar. What do we do?"

"Zeus' destruction takes top priority. All other objectives are secondary until we either confirm his demise or blow enough shit out of him. 4 Niner, you are clear to engage. Light that fucker up."

"Understood. Lighting him up." All the helicopters fired off missiles, blowing away at Zeus. But while it caused him to react and suffer damage, it just wasn't enough. "Target still standing. Beginning evasive maneuverer. Look sharp people." The Helicopters all banked away, dodging tendrils reaching out for them. While Zeus was distracted by them, the tanks rolled closer and started blasting too. A leg was blown out from under him, but he grew another to take over. The Helicopters fired again as the tanks backed off. They only had a few brought over with them, and they wanted to make them last. Daniels quickly had a look at his team. Starnes was looking like he was having the time of his life, while Williams was freaking out. Understandable really. The last Orions were taken out completely by Ares. Zeus was now just as strong, maybe even stronger. He looked back just in time to spot something growing on Zeus' back. "Heads up, we got something." He said into the radio."

"Understood ground team." 4 Niner replied. "Got it on visual. Blowing them to hell." Missiles impacted again, but the growths were forming elsewhere. Eventually, they grew enough to take on a shape. They looked like even bigger tentacles, with a mouth that split into three parts. "Hydras confirmed. Repeat, Hydras confirmed. Moving into clearer airspace." The helicopters banked upwards, just in time to dodge a blast of fire. And Zeus could still bend. This was getting better and better. One of them fired a small ball of biomass that impacted against a helicopter. Tentacles fired out to grab things.

"This is 723 Delta! I've been hit with a bio bomb! I'm going…!" 723 was silenced as masonry was ripped away and smashed into him. The helicopter exploded and crashed into more buildings causing several to fall apart. Everyone started moving as masonry fell around them. But Daniels watched as a pillar fell in the middle of the Avatar's group. He could see Asami Sato and the Firebender Mako stuck on their side. They shouted at their friends, before heading straight towards them.

"Williams! Get your head together. Target is approaching with an enemy." Williams gave an audible gulp, but stood with a firm expression. As the two rounded the corner, Mako was blindsided by her punch. He smashed into the opposite wall hard enough to crack it. Asami screamed as she saw them. "Easy, Miss Sato. We're just going to get you back to your father." David poked the Firebender with his foot.

"This guy's out cold." David said gleefully. "But just to be sure…" He got out a pistol and pointed it at Mako.

"No!" Asami shouted, not understanding their conversation but getting the intent. "If… If you let him live, I'll come willingly."

_That_ always made things easier. It would be better to have her cooperate. Less chance something could happen to her. David was waiting for his decision. "Starnes, put the gun down. He's not getting back up for a while." David grumbled, but he obeyed orders. Daniels got out his radio again. "This is Daniels. We have apprehended Asami Sato. Permission to move out with the package?"

"Negative." Redcliffe responded. "We need you to keep an eye on Zeus. He's getting more dangerous." Another explosion shook the block as something else was destroyed. "I'm sending Phillips over to collect her. Wait for him and then keep scouting."

"Understood." The pipes around them creaked ominously as water was drawn away. They didn't have to wait long for Phillips to arrive. He grabbed Asami gently in a bridal carry, before running off with her. He nearly made it to the end of the street when a tentacle blocked his path. Rather than risk his package getting harmed or killed, Phillips jumped into a nearby building. They heard panicked shouting as the occupants were startled, followed by smashing and gunfire. Daniels looked past the rubble to see that they weren't doing so well anymore. Half the helicopters were scrapped, while 3 of the 10 tanks were burnt husks.

"Whelp, we're fucked." David said calmly as a pulsating red orb flew through the air. The helicopter barely missed it as it slammed into a building.

He hoped that Phillips was having better luck than they were.

* * *

Coop Phillips growled as he jumped into a building that turned out to contain Metalbender police inside. They instantly reacted, throwing rocks at them. Phillips turned to shield his package with his mass. If she died, Sato was going to take all his funding away at best. He had to end this before she got hurt.

He pulled his service pistol from his side, now modified to suit his much larger hands. Instead of aiming for the obvious target of the chest, he lined up and got three officers in the head. Two more officers got him by the wrists with their cables, while another two used their Earthbending to make him sink into the ground. But he wasn't some low-bit crook. He was a D-Code, the first super soldier. He jumped out of the mud pit, pulling the officers after him and stomping on top of another. He then used his legs to smash a rock at the other, before pulling the last two officers close and crushing them. He went to grab Miss Sato again, when he felt himself getting covered with rocks. As he turned, a rock smashed into his helmet, covering it and making him blind. But he had other senses. He could feel the heat coming from the last survivor. He quickly pulled plates of earth off his body, throwing them at the officer. He dodged them, but it gave him a chance to get closer. One he was in range, he grabbed the man by the chest and legs, and twisted him in half. He then dropped the broken corpse at his feet, before approaching a frightened Miss Sato.

"This is Red Crown." Redcliffe said into the comms. "We're about to give Zeus a little surprise." Phillips looked up quickly as a tank drove by, only to do a double-take as he noticed the two extra turrets on the sides. The Thermobaric tank! Even Mother wasn't able to shrug that off. More importantly though, he needed to get out of the blast radius before it went off. He grabbed Miss Sato again, jumping through a broken window and hightailed it out of there just in time for the world to grow silent. Everything turned grey as the pressure affected his head, and then he felt the rush of displaced air hit him in the back. Zeus' scream of pain shook the few remaining window panes in their frames.

Zeus was finally going down.

* * *

Korra peeked round the side of the rubble, looking at awe at all the destruction. Having a memory of a Thermobaric tank was one thing, but it was something worse to see it in person. Everything within ten feet of Alex was scorched beyond repair. Burning piles of flesh littered the street. And as Korra watched, a small pile of biomass slithered its way down a manhole. A few Blackwatch members got out of tanks and dropped grenades down the manhole, causing covers to get fired into the air as the explosions tore things apart down in the sewers. They did this tree times before speaking into radios. They then ran back to their tanks, before driving away.

"Guess that means Alex is finally dead." Lin said as they crept out from behind the cover. "Good riddance. I nearly lost some good men to that thing." As she said that, Korra thought she could feel something. Pain washed over her, the pain and confusion of hundreds…

"He's not dead." She said. "I think they just realised it would be suicide to go down there with him. And they're right. We couldn't do anything."

"Korra, I know this will sound strange." Tenzin said quickly. "But perhaps we could try _reasoning_ with Alex. Find out why he's doing this."

"Why? He's a weapon. This is what he's made for. To go to enemy cities and tear them apart. You can't reason with him."

"Actually, I think we can. He was going to hand Sato over when Lin offered to overlook his crime. And can you honestly think of anything better?" Korra glared at him, but realised he had a very good point. They didn't have anything else to go on. Maybe they _could_ get through to Alex.

"Alright. We'll try it your way."

"Hold on, hold on." Bolin said quickly, holding his hands in the 'time-out' expression. "Are we _really_ going to go down there? With Alex? As in the guy you mentioned _eats_ people? Call me crazy, but that doesn't really seem that smart." He noticed Mako limping over to them. "Look! Mako's back. Maybe he's got a better idea."

"Asami's been taken." Mako said as soon as he got close to them. "I got sucker-punched by a Blackwatch lady, and when I woke up Asami was gone. We've got to go and get her."

"We can't." Korra explained. "We need to find Alex and stop him. And before you argue with me, you haven't seen the horrors of an outbreak. I have. If Alex starts one up, Republic City will fall. I'm sorry, but Asami's just going to have to handle things without us for a day or two. Besides, her father's there. He won't let anything happen to her." Korra wasn't sure who she was trying to convince. She knew that Blackwatch might kill Asami for being near Alex. It was their 'standard procedure'. She just had to hope she was right.

"…Fine." Mako gritted, clearly angry over it. Korra nodded, before turning to Tenzin.

"If we don't make it back by tomorrow, assume we're not coming back at all." And with that, she led the way into the sewers, Mako and Bolin right behind her. Lin and Tenzin kept watch over the wounded officers, the survivors scrounging the wreckage for others. All this, Alex did with so much ease. She doubted he was really aware of it.

It terrified her.

**Woo. Sorry I'm leaving this on a cliffhanger. I honestly wanted to go a bit farther before I posted this, but I'm writing this at 2:30 at night, and I want to get this done before I go to bed. Next chapter will be a fun one, and one I've been planning for a while now. I hope you guys will enjoy it when I get it written.**

**So first off, the Blackwatch soldiers. I decided to write Daniels as being a perfectly normal guy who's willing to burn a city to the ground to stop the Blacklight virus. A Well-intentioned Extremist, if you will. If you met this guy, you'd never realise what a monster he could be. Starnes is, of course, the same Starnes from Prototype 2. For those of you that haven't played it, you do a couple of missions where you pretend to be a Blackwatch soldier and fight alongside others to get into a top-secret base. In both of them, Starnes is saying something crazy, like how female Infected look hot if you cover their heads (This got another soldier asking how he passed their psyche-evaluation test), or they saw an infected that looked like a celebrity. He's in this to blow things up, and hit on sexy women. And Williams (named for Mass Effect character Ashley Williams) is a next-generation Orion soldier. They used some leftover biomass from the second outbreak that Heller didn't absorb, and so she looks like a human while having the strength and durability of an Orion. That said, she's still easy pickings for a Runner, so you can understand her fear at fighting Alex, especially in his 'Father' form. Yes, I named it as a similarity to Greene's Mother form.**

**Next up, the Metalbenders are going to do much better against Blackwatch next time. They lost so easily because they were under fire from Alex, they weren't ready for bullets, and they weren't expecting to fight a super soldier. Even Blackwatch would have trouble in that scenario.**

**Finally, this fight is where I'm going to change a few things. Asami will have a talk with her father back at Blackwatch, while the others are going to have to rescue her later on. Incidentally, I realised pretty quickly that in order to make the bad guys a threat to the Krew, I'm going to have to have Alex busy killing other things. So we might see more villains as we go along.**

**Enjoy.**


	5. New York Zero

**You guys are in luck. I was so pumped by getting to that cliffhanger, I decided to spend all of today writing out the next chapter and finishing the arc. I hope you guys like it. We're going to see some familiar faces, and hear one interpretation on why Alex went from anti-hero to villain between the games.**

Chapter 5: New York Zero

_Whelp, no one can argue you're not completely Flutter batshit crazy._ The voice in Korra's head mocked her as she climbed down the ladder. _You're going into a dark and dank sewer, where there are lots of hiding places and dead things, to hunt down a monster you __**know**__ can kill you and take your place as easily as breathing?_ _There's a reason Blackwatch just bombed the crap out of this place and left without checking he was really dead. You might as well bash your brains out and save Alex the trouble of ripping you to pieces._

"Shut up." Korra muttered to herself, not noticing the weird looks Mako and Bolin were giving her. She just needed a bit more time. Time to think, time to do things, time to save Republic City. She couldn't do that in an asylum. Wait, did they even have asylums? Or was that something she got from Alex? She shook her head in response. She had to focus.

"So, where to now?" Bolin whimpered, holding onto the back of her shirt. She couldn't blame him. Every muscle in her body was screaming to run away. And as much as she hated to admit it…

_I'm a part of you, silly. I'm you when you're not having to be all 'I'm the saviour of the world'. You should totally bang Mako. After all, you don't want to die a virgin, do you?_ "I'm not sure. I was just going to follow the screaming, but…" She stopped as her nose smelled something… familiar. A rotting meat smell, mixed in with the stench of burning meat. "Can you guys smell that?"

"You mean the smell of disgust? Yeah. It's a sewer after all."

"It could be Alex. Come on." She led the way, ignoring Bolin's suggestion to go back up top. They had to find him. They had to.

_And do what? Talk to him? He has no mouth and must scream._ The voice giggled in a way Korra never would. _Maybe you could… No. You're kidding me._ The voice didn't sound like it was having fun anymore. _Are you insane? You can't speak to his spirit again. He doesn't have one. All he's got is other peoples' souls. And the last time created me. You're about one step from falling off Sanity Tower and hitting Looney Street._

"Shut up." Korra said a bit louder, her voice echoing slightly. She glanced back to find Mako and Bolin watching her carefully. "Come on. We need to hurry. Who knows where he might end up if we lose him?" They kept walking for a bit longer before Mako spoke.

"Korra, I think we should just burn this place." He said. "You're in no condition to do anything."

"What?" She said angrily, rounding on him. "I'm fine Mako. My mind's working perfectly."

"Then why did you just tell someone to shut up when none of us were talking?" He placed a hand on her shoulder. "Korra, you saw into the mind of a monster. You need to stop and make sure you're ok."

_You know what would make __**me**__ feel ok? A nice night with a hunky boy. Hey, with Asami missing, you could totally…_

"Shut up!" She said angrily. Just shut up."

"Who's that for? Me? Or that voice in your head?"

"Both of you. Now shut up and keep looking. We can't lose him."

"But how are we even…?"

"Will you both _please_ quit nagging me? I'll… I'll think of something." Mako didn't look happy, but he at least stayed quiet. Inside, Korra was fretting. They were both right. She was already half insane just from a few seconds of being inside Alex's head. What would happen if she went in longer? What would happen to her body?

"…No, no." A voice whimpered. "Please, no. No. NO!" The man screamed as something meaty slammed into the ground several times. By the time Korra and the others crept around the corner, Alex had already eaten him. He was now sitting there, shifting and muttering.

…_Still think this is a good idea? Because __**I'm**__ the insane one and __**I**__ think this is stupid._ Korra ignored the voice. She took a deep breath as she considered her options. She might be able to burn him to death while he was only this small, but the fact he was still around after her last attack showed that it might not kill him. And then there was the fact he diffused Mako's fire blasts. So Bending was out of the question. He didn't have a central nervous system or organs or _anything_, so they couldn't stab him to death. All that would do is give him something else to eat.

Dammit, Tenzin was right.

"Alex?" Korra said quietly. "It's me, Korra." The blob turned towards her as her body grew out of the muck again. "I'm sorry for burning you. I don't know what's wrong with you, but I want to help you."

"…Let me help you out ma'am. *Bang*… I want to help my daughter… Thank you for helping me get into College daddy…" Voices issued out of Alex, all saying things about help. Maybe he understood her. She took a step closer, watching the tendrils whip about. One moved way too close to her head, causing her to jump away. But Alex settled down enough for her to get closer. She shuddered as his form writhed with tentacles. One thought from him, and she was dead.

"Korra." Mako said. "This is a seriously bad idea." Korra, being the stubborn lady she was, ignored him. She took a deep calming breath, and placed her hand against Alex's biomass.

She felt herself falling into nothing.

* * *

Darkness. Nothing but darkness. Then there was a dark red, writhing all around her. Korra could do nothing but watch as she fell. Was she dead? Did Alex eat her? What was happening to Mako and Bolin at this moment?

_They're fine._ The voice said. _You're still alive. Look. Wriggle your toes._ Korra did so, and she could feel a faint sensation getting fainter with every second. _There, you see? This is probably how you interpret melding your mind with an eldritch weapon from another world that doesn't follow any comprehendible morality system. Yecch. You've got some issues. And how do we talk to someone here? Do we just wave around going 'Hey there. I want to make you better so that you stop eating people.' Lame._ Korra blotted out the voice, turning so she faced down. It was rather nauseating, watching the biomass quiver. But as she watched, parts of it grew and changed shape. Tall spikes stood out amongst small blocks, while a badly-drawn circle shimmered in the center. The biomass turned grey and became blocky. Korra recognised it instantly. New York Zero. Alex was showing her his home. As she fell closer to it, she could make out some major changes.

The area to the south was glowing blue, looking even cleaner than Republic City. Weapons dotted around the walls and buildings, while bugs scurried around in formation. Most of them were attacking a massive wall that blocked them off, being repelled by several people moving way too fast. To the north, the city was pulsating red. The buildings there hadn't really changed, looking like moving boils and tentacles. They were also attacking a massive wall that was defended by people, as large creatures attacked. The West side was burning, looking damaged from attacks. Again, the people were attacking the wall. Again, it was being defended. And the East side looked… normal. Like people were just living in it. No one was attacking anything there, but she could see the defenders milling around some rubble. Maybe someone broke through… whatever they were supposed to represent. And, she noted finally, there was a massive tower near the centre of the city. Right where Gentek was.

She was so distracted by the sight below her, she almost didn't realise where she was falling. She started yelling as she rushed past the buildings faster than anyone ever had gone, heading straight for the ground. She didn't know what would happen if she died here, but she didn't want to find out. She was about to start Firebending when she slowed down. She looked in amazement as she touched the ground daintily, a pulse moving from where she landed. She looked around carefully, watching for attacks, but mostly shocked by the destruction around her. This was meant to represent no-man's land. Nothing had claim over it. Not people. Not Blackwatch. Not Infected. As far as she could tell, she was completely alone past the wall.

"Hello?" She yelled, hearing her voice echo. "Alex? Where are you?" There was nothing. No sound at all. "Is there anyone out here!? Help! I don't know what to do." She whispered that last part to herself, crying. Stupid. She didn't have any plan. She just knew they could never beat Alex is a fight. Now she was trapped inside, with no way to know what to do. How could this get any worse?

She heard creaking as something started moving. She looked around to see a Satomobile move as tendrils wrapped round it. They turned in her direction, watching her. She took a stance, ready to fight. As they crept closer, she yelled and punched a fire blast at them.

Nothing happened. She punched again, but she still got nothing.

The tendrils rushed her, causing her to flee from them. They lashed out, but by dodging and remembering her Airbending training, she avoided them. She ran round a corner, hoping it would lead her to safety. Or at least beyond their range. But she found herself at a dead-end. She turned slowly, feeling terror. The tendrils snaked closer, blocking her escape route. "Help!" She yelled again, not even sure if anyone would hear her. She was going to die. Spirits, she was going to die here. The tendrils rushed at blinding speed towards her, she could only scream in terror…

"Surprise, motherfucker!" A deep-voiced, dark-skinned man shouted as he dropped in from above, landing on the tendrils. They writhed at him, but he merely ignored their attacks. He grabbed one and ripped it in two, before grabbing the other and splattering it against the wall. He turned to glare at Korra, letting her take a better look at him. He was dressed in black shirt and pants, kinda like a photo-negative of Alex. The only thing they shared was the black jacket with a hood, but this man's was down to show his bald head. He looked so familiar to her, but she couldn't place him. He stepped closer, causing her to shake in fear. He looked so angry, so hateful. He was reaching out, going to kill her…

"Hello there, Avatar Korra." He said kindly, holding his hand out to shake. "It's nice meeting you. Even though I wished we could meet in better circumstances." Korra stared at him a bit before shakily reaching out to him. "I'll admit, you could've landed in worse places than this." He continued saying as they shook hands. "But the Grey Zone is still not a nice place."

"…Wh-Where am I?" Korra stuttered. "What is this place?"

"New York Zero. Or at least, Alex's version of it. This only showed up when you arrived, so I'm guessing it's meant to, I don't know, ease you in. Turn this fucking messed-up head into something you could understand."

"What do all those walls mean?"

"The walls represent Alex's bullshit control over this place. He cages us all like animals and prisoners. Each area represents a different group of people he's consumed. South is all the Blackwatch fuckers we've eaten, while West is the psychopaths and criminals we've had to snack on. East is filled to the brim with people who were just in the wrong fucking place at the wrong fucking time."

"And North?" Korra asked. His language was pretty crude, leaving her to wonder what happened to him. Maybe it was his way of dealing being a part of Alex.

"North is the shittiest place here. Everyone in there had been an Infected during life, and they're all fucked up in the head from getting turned into freaky monsters.

"Those walls represent Alex's control over everyone here." Korra mused to herself. "And yet apart from the East, everyone is trying to break out." She gasped as it hit her. "You guys are causing this." She said angrily, pointing at the man. "Because you're trying to fight your way free, Alex went on a rampage." The ground shook as things around her changed. Instead of standing in an alleyway, she was now on a street, watching Alex attack everything around her. The man looked at it, scowling as he saw people get hurt. Korra got even angrier as she realised that he must've been the one that smashed through the wall. That could've been what pushed Alex over the edge. "I can't believe you lot. You caused people to die just so you could argue over who's in charge? My friends and I nearly died out there."

"Believe me, whatever damage was caused by our power struggles is nothing compared to what Alex can do if he wants to. You have no idea what he caused."

_Yes we do. He's a weapon that looks like a person, he ripped his way through a couple of armies, and he fought Blackwatch to a standstill._ The man looked at her, and sighed.

"How much did you get from him?" He asked. "When you melded the first time?"

"I… I got some things. But there's stuff I know I heard, but I don't know what they are." It might've been how she remained sane. Well, sane-ish.

"Did you hear about the outbreaks? Alex was behind both of them. He killed millions on purpose. He was planning to infect the whole world. And if we don't stop him, then he'll succeed. You're the _real_ Avatar. It's your duty to protect this place from fuckers like him."

"…And if I help you. Help you take over. Will you stop the rampages?"

"I swear it." Korra was at a loss. She didn't know what to believe. But the world changed again. She was inside a tall, busy building. Penn Station. Alex was surrounded by Blackwatch soldiers, holding onto a vial. They shot him right after he threw the vial to the ground, unleashing a dark liquid. The Virus. Blacklight. As the memory faded, Korra made up her mind. She was here to stop Alex from rampaging. If that meant letting someone else take the reins, then so be it. Besides, it was one idea more than she had before.

"Alright. I'll help you, Mr…"

The man smiled as he shook her hand. "James Heller."

* * *

Heller brought them to an apartment high on the rooftops. Korra recognised it as where Dana, Alex's sister stayed while he was fighting Blackwatch. They looked at a map of the city, constantly changing to reflect who was in control.

"The Gentek tower is now the central control of this whole body." Heller said as he looked down at the map. "Mercer's hold up inside it, refusing to come out. We need to flush him out if we want to stop him. To do that, we have to help create chaos."

"I'm here to stop Alex from rampaging and you want to make it worse?" Korra asked hotly. "I'm standing right outside him. What if he eats me?"

"Hopefully, he won't have time. There's no other way to do it. And together, we could restore order." Korra glared at him, but she was at a loss for ideas. For now, she was just going to have to accept it. "Now, each Wall is guarded by three Evolved, Alex's lieutenants from the Second Outbreak. Alex relies on them to hold the peace for him while he makes his plans to destroy the world. We take them out, and then Alex will have to play crowd control himself."

"What's to stop the people in charge from taking over instead of us? From the sound of it, any of them would be even worse than Alex."

"Simple. We take out their leaders. They'll be too busy fighting each other for control to bother us. By the time their souls return, we'll be safe. Blackwatch is led by General Randall." A picture of a grim, old man appeared by the south side. "As far as I can tell, he's the asshole that founded Blackwatch. He's got a lot of goons, but he's no fighter. We get near him, he's a stain on the floor. The West Zone is led by some ex-Blackwatch goon. Wears a full mask, so no one knows who he is. You get to be in charge by being the biggest, baddest motherfucker in the Zone, so he's going to be worse to handle." A picture of a man wearing a white balaclava and a gas mask appeared by the zone. "And finally, there's the Infected. They act like a hive, worshipping something called 'The Mother'. Don't know what the fuck it is, but we can handle it." Mother. The code name given to a giant Infected monster. One that weathered Blackwatch.

"We can't." She said. "It's too powerful. But maybe, we could get Blackwatch to attack it. If it comes to that. The only problem we still have is that I can't bend. And I don't know what those tendrils meant."

"I think they represent the viral nature of this body. From what I believe, if they grab you, it means Alex is consuming your body. The others are bending by focusing on the memories of bending. Did you do that, or was it just the lessons?" She blushed as she realised she didn't think about the feeling of bending. That must've been why it didn't work. "We'll work each area together. I'll cause a distraction, while you deal with any targets still standing. As far as I can tell, if you die inside here, then you just get brought back again."

"And if I die here, I'm stuck for life." Korra groaned. She had to play it safe. But she couldn't just sit around waiting. Her nerves wouldn't be able to take it. "Ah, whatever. Let's just get going."

Neither of them noticed that they were being watched as they left.

* * *

"Heller you bastard, I will _murder_ you." Korra muttered as she hid behind cover. The Blackwatch group was proving harder to handle than normal. She could Earthbend from behind the cover, but her aim wasn't too good. And Heller was busy getting some revenge on the Evolved watching over the Wall, so he wasn't going to be much help. She had to come up with something.

_I can help you._ The voice said teasingly. _But you have to do something for me._

"Now is _not_ a good time." She said to herself, wincing as stray splinters struck her. "Alright, alright. What is it?"

_Kiss Mako again. Promise me that, and I'll tell you._

"You… You…" She was so angry she was nearly about to burst. "Fine. I promise."

_Heller said this is just a representation to make your mind comprehend this fucked up place. So imagine there's a water pipe right next to you._ Korra closed her eyes for a moment, thinking about a water pipe. When she opened them, it was right there. She bended it open, spraying the soldiers with water and freezing them. She rushed past just in time to see an Evolved crash into the frozen people, shattering them. She grabbed one of the rifles as she went, remembering the memories of how to use it. She turned back to fire at the Evolved, a man in Blackwatch uniform with two blades for arms, allowing Heller to crush him underfoot. Satisfied, and with Blackwatch troops dealing with the last Evolved, they rushed towards the central base. Korra spotted a lot of hardware designed to kill lying around the place.

"I want the Avatar found and kept in here." They heard an older man say over the loudspeaker. "We cannot allow her power to escape us. But Ares is to be shot on sight, no matter what. Burn half the fucking town if you have to." They found a window showing Randall watching over the place. Heller grabbed the gun off Korra, lined it up, and opened fire. But while the window cracked, it didn't shatter. Bulletproof. "I am under fire. Repeat, I am under fire. Find them now!" Heller gave her the gun back, before rushing the troops. She was forced to wait as he grabbed several of them, smashed them together, and threw them at the window. The cracks grew even bigger. Then Heller grabbed another soldier and stabbed him. He threw the lone man at the window, and tendrils shot out to everything. They were pulled back, smashing the window open and blowing up the room. Randall went flying just in time to get smashed by Heller. His corpse fell to the ground.

"Good job." Heller said to her. "Keep hold of that gun. You could use it."

One down.

* * *

Alex growled as he saw the map, watching the reports come in. Blackwatch was breaking through the Wall. He didn't know how, but he was sure it involved Heller. When he got the report that he had broken through, he had all his Evolved ready for a fight. Clearly, though, they weren't strong enough. He loathed letting more leave the Tower, but he had to keep control. For everyone's sake.

"Roland." He said into the comm. "Status report."

"It's getting hairy out here, Sir." His loyal right-hand man reported. After Alex ended up in here, he regained control of the Evolved, while dealing with any traitors. "We're keeping the Infected contained, but Cross is testing our limits. And the Green Zone is rising up." Alex stared at his prisoners, watching them gaze back at him. He turned to see the men guarding the Tower. He made his decision.

"I want the guard on the other walls doubled, right now. We need to hold this just until the men return. And whatever you do, do _not_ let the Infected escape." As Roland disconnected, Alex swore he heard laughing. He concentrated until it faded. He couldn't lose control again. He had to regain it.

And he had to find Korra.

* * *

"They're expecting us." Korra noted, burning away some more tendrils. She noticed that they were appearing more regularly than before. "We're not going to get in through the front door, even with you playing distraction."

"Luckily for us, _we're_ not distracting them." Heller replied, pointing at the Blackwatch tanks rolling in. "They are. We let them start a fight with the Evolved, pick off the weaker ones, and then watch as they roll in to fight the psychopaths.

"Yes, a bold plan." A lady said above them. They looked up to find a blond-haired lady watching them, surrounded by more Evolved. "But Mercer realises you're the biggest threat Heller. As for you Korra, he orders for you to stand down. Leave the fighting to the adults."

"Yeah?" She replied hotly. "Then tell Alex that I know about the outbreaks. I'm not going to sit by and let him destroy my world. We _will_ take him down, no matter what."

The lady shook her head sadly. "I see that Heller's indoctrinated you. Do you honestly expect him to help your world? He wasn't interested in saving New York Zero until his family got involved. But enough chit-chat." Her arms became longer and thinner, with small spikes for hands. She leapt down at them, reeling Heller in with the arms. As they pounded each other while falling, Korra ran to safety. A couple of Evolved raced after her, one of them a hooded man like Alex, while the other was a waif-like girl in ragged clothes. As they got closer, Korra threw some fire at them. But the man dispersed it with his own bending. Right, they had bending too. This was going to be difficult. As she rounded the corner, she turned and aimed the gun, catching the waif in the crosshairs. She barely dodged as Korra unloaded into her, before smashing her in the face with the stock. The man grabbed her, but she managed to pull herself free and started smacking him with rocks. This guy might've been Evolved, and therefore far stronger than her, but he had no training. He just relied on hitting things hard. She kept smashing him until he faded away, panting as she stopped. That was the most tiring 20 seconds of her life. She got back up, and moved carefully back towards Heller. The whole world was shaking from explosions as Blackwatch attacked. As she rounded the final corner, she caught a glimpse of Blackwatch fighting gang members around the broken Wall, with the Ex-Blackwatch at the head. She watched as he fired lightning from his hands. So he was a Firebender. Unbelievable. To think that most of these guys were completely normal until Alex ended up here. And now they were using bending to fight each other. She felt a hand on her shoulder, and screamed while lashing out. Heller stumbled as she got him with an uppercut.

"…Spirits, don't scare me like that!" Korra shouted at him, hitting him again on the shoulder. "I nearly died of fright!"

"Sorry about that. Just was letting you know that the Evolved are gone." Heller replied, rubbing his jaw. "And I'm sure Blackwatch can keep the psychopaths busy for a while."

"Wait. Wasn't the plan that you'd kill their leader? You're not really going to leave him alone, are you?"

"Look at those guys. They don't have a clue how to fight." Heller pointed out to her. Korra looked to see the gang members falling rapidly, while Blackwatch was slowly pushing their way in. "They're hoodlums, muggers, thieves and fucktards fighting against trained professionals. Even with more people bending, they're still gonna get fucked. I doubt this guy can handle them all for much longer." With that, he left, smacking a tendril that was creeping up on Korra.

Two down now.

* * *

"What the fuck happened?" Alex shouted into the comms, shaking with rage. He could feel himself losing control. "How did we lose the Yellow Zone? How could Blackwatch beat them?"

"They were under attack from both fronts." Roland replied. "And some of them went to attack Heller."

"Fuck! Fuck, fuck, fuck! He's getting on my fucking nerves. The bastard's going to ruin everything." The room became darker, more flesh-like, as he lost control. Laughter filled his ears. He took a deep breath, regaining control again. He turned the map around until he found Korra. She and Heller were fighting off tendrils, caused by his rage. It looked like they were heading for the Green Zone. Good. If he had to lose, at least they weren't going for the Red Zone. Surely even Heller wasn't _that_ stupid. He was about to turn away, when he noticed something weird happening outside. Korra was moving. Like she was about to pull free.

But how?

* * *

The lady gasped as she pulled her way up to the girl's body. She had to escape. She had to. She couldn't spend another moment in this freak. In this monster. She wanted to be human again. She mopped her blond hair out of her eyes, glad to see the end in sight. The rope she was holding led to an open door, designed to resemble an igloo curtain. As she pulled herself the last few feet, she touched the handle, feeling it change under her grip.

Now she just had to figure out how to control it.

* * *

Korra watched as the mass of civilians crowded the Evolved. They were good, too good for normal benders to stop. But they had Heller with them. He and Korra had managed to bring down the Wall, freeing everyone trapped within. The city was looking stranger though. The lines were getting blurred, with Blackwatch bases mixed in with burnt husks and apartment buildings. What did this mean on the outside? Were Mako and Bolin ok? How long had she been in here for? It didn't help that she was fighting off more and more tendrils at every step. Heller said that meant Alex was losing control, but did she really want that? She came in here to stop the fighting, not take part in a civil war.

She needed answers.

"Well, that should be the last of Mercer's Evolved around here. But he's still not coming out, the pussy." Heller said as he jumped onto her ledge. "But with most of them gone, we can finally assault the main tower. Mercer's a dead-man walking."

"Yeah, but… Are we really doing the right thing?" Heller gave her a look. "Alex lost control because of this war. He killed people because he was fighting himself. From what my new memories tell me, Alex was fine until… something happened."

_I know what we can do. _The voice in her said. _Why don't we betray Heller when we get to Alex? If you're really that concerned about who's in charge, then maybe we should help him._

"If Alex appears to be a good guy, then it's just a bullshit lie. He's a monster that fucks with peoples' families for some bullshit reason. He doesn't care about you _or_ your friends, Korra. Remember that." He moved to head to the Tower, when a comm alarm went out.

"Calling all units, calling all units." A panicky man said quickly. "This is the last remaining Evolved watching over the Red Zone. We need anyone still out there. The Infected are breaking free. Repeat, the… AARGH!" The comm cut out as the sky started turning red. Korra looked in worry as buildings started shaking. And high above them, large birds were flying en mass. Korra watched in horror as everyone around her fled in fear. The unthinkable had happened.

The Infection had broken free.

* * *

"Snap out of it Korra!" Heller shouted as he grabbed her, jumping high into the air. She saw Blackwatch helicopters heading to intercept the flyers. "This is our chance. We'll find Mercer out there fighting them. Once we've contained them, then we'll finish him off and race to the Tower. Easy."

"Easy? Easy?! We're fighting the Infected! I can't fight them! I… I don't want to die!" Korra couldn't believe it. He thought fighting them was easy? Yeah, maybe if you were a super-powered badass. But she wasn't like him. If one of them attacked her, she was dead. She needed to hide. "Leave me here. I'll take the Tower while you take on Alex."

"Not going to happen. I think you need to be a part of this to take over. If you go, you'll just be a sitting duck. But I _will_ leave you at the edge of the fighting." He dropped down near a building that was slowly falling apart, before slashing at some Infected that rushed him. He used a blade to clear his way through them, following along with Blackwatch members. Korra spent her time burning away at any tendrils that got near her, before creating a barrier of water. The tendrils stopped just short of it, waving around her. She watched as buildings nearby grew biomass before it all fell off as Blackwatch took ground. She sighed, glad they were winning. She wasn't completely sure who was best to be in charge, but she knew anyone would be better than the Infected.

"All units, we've got a strange mist approaching. Stay out of it until we determine what it does." Korra gasped as she saw a red cloud approaching her. She wanted to move, but there were so many tendrils around her that she couldn't let her barrier down. She had to sit still as she disappeared into it. She shivered as more tendrils showed up. She didn't know what was going on? Was this actually helping? Or was she just deluding herself? Maybe she was already another lost soul.

_Cheer up already. Admit it, it could be worse. Now you're part of a super powerful creature that creams everything that fights it. __**You**__ could take control and live like a queen._ This was her now. Listening to herself grow slowly insane. Fun. Then, the noises stopped. She looked up to see the tendrils move away from one side. Something humanoid was walking out of the mist. She gritted her teeth and held up her barrier. Whatever that was, it wasn't getting through.

She watched in pure horror as the figure just stepped through the water like it was a cool shower instead of something they feared. It was a woman, with chopped red hair, blood matted everywhere, and wearing some kind of skin-tight rubber outfit.

"…_She was a damn test subject…The mother and child are now military assets…I am your mother…"_ Korra shook in fear as she realised just what she was trapped with.

"It's so nice to see you Korra, my darling daughter-to-be." Elizabeth Greene, first Infected, and the 'Mother' said to her.

* * *

Mako was getting very worried. Korra had been in there for far too long. Alex had creeped up to her elbow, and she wasn't even reacting. Was she even aware that he was eating her arm? Probably not.

"I hate this." He muttered to Bolin, making sure to keep his voice down. "We should be killing Alex, not negotiating with him."

"Well, considering the Metalbending Police couldn't stop him, along with Blackwatch, maybe Korra and Tenzin are onto something. Besides, where would you stick him? Does he even have organs?"

"I don't know. But this is taking too long." Suddenly, Korra started jerking and gasping. She pulled her arm free, nearly falling over from the motion. Mako ran over and grabbed her before she could hit the ground. She opened her eyes blearily, looking terrified. "Korra? Are you ok?"

"B…B…Burn." She whispered to him. "Burn it now. While it's distracted. She slowly knelt down. "We have to destroy it. We can't let it live, no matter what."

"But you said…" Bolin started talking, until Korra glared at him. She seemed to be acting different now. Maybe she saw something even worse.

"Prepare to attack on my mark." She whispered, watching Alex writhe. "1…2…"

* * *

"W-What did you call me?" Korra squeaked. The mist cleared to show screens, playing memories of Greene. _She_ was Mother. She was the giant monster commanding the Infected. And she was trapped with her.

"Daughter-to-be." Greene said kindly as she got closer. "I miss having children. My only baby was taken from me. But then I had all these babies. They are such kind and gentle creatures. Have you seen them play? They have such fun. I'm so glad that they can spread their joy around. If only people could accept them."

"But they kill people. They turn them into monsters that…" Greene was suddenly in her face, growling at her.

"They are not monsters. They are my babies. You should be kinder to your siblings Korra. You shouldn't be a bully, hitting them with fire and water. You're just as bad as Mercer and Heller. They always hurt their siblings." She backed away, sighing. "If only Mercer would let me adopt his sister. She was happy, she was peaceful with us. Things would've been great. But he had to take her, and tried to hurt me. You'd like it with us Korra. We can help you, make you better."

"I don't want to be better. I don't want to be your daughter." The barrier was weakening around her. The tendrils were working their way through. "I like being me. I like my skills. Everything I am, I got it by myself."

"Well now, that's not true. You're only the Avatar because of luck. You wouldn't have been able to bend all four elements by effort alone. But I can help you with that. I can help you unlock the power of Airbending. I can help you defend your new family from Amon and Blackwatch. All you have to do, is let me." She leaned in, pressing herself far too close to Korra. "I could even set you up with a lover. Do you want a boy, or a girl? I won't care either way. She kissed her on the cheek, causing Korra to lose concentration for a second.

"…No." She said firmly. Greene looked at her in sadness.

"Why do people hate things that are good for them?" Then tendrils worked their way in further. Korra tried to strengthen the barrier, but it wasn't working. She was going to die.

Greene screamed in pain as the world started burning. Korra nearly screamed too as her body ached all over. But she had to hold on. She had to get away, before whatever was happening stopped. But what was happening? It felt like…

"We're out of here kid." A blond-haired man said as he picked her up. She blearily looked up at the sky, watching as everything burned. The hole. The hole she saw in the sky, the one she entered through. It was gone. Where was it? What did that mean? And where was she going? "Mercer wants you back at the tower for some reason. Maybe he thinks he can get you to stop if he controls you or something."

"No." She whispered. But she ached too much. She couldn't resist. She could only watch as the Tower seemed to melt around her. She entered a burning atrium, but instead of going up, the man pushed the elevator to go down. He placed her into it before rushing back out, for what she didn't know. She could only gasp as the temperature got more bearable as she went lower and lower. By the time the door opened, she was able to finally move again. She limped and stumbled her way out, holding onto the wall as she went. She nearly fell until she felt someone's arms around her. She looked up to see a dark-haired woman in a suit pulling her along. She passed a mirrored wall, and finally got a look at herself. She was glowing with white lines, but they were marred. Half of her was bloodied and ravaged, making her look like one of the Infected. Was this her forever now? Was she one of them?

_Spirits, you're a mess. And what was with that burning sensation. Reminds me of the time we first realised we could Firebend. Boy, that burn stayed for days._ She didn't even have the energy to tell the voice to shut up. She just wanted to stop. It hurt too much. She closed her eyes, and barely felt the lady place her on a chair. She just stayed like that until she couldn't bare waiting. She opened her eyes to see Alex chained to the wall. What? But… But how? Was someone else in charge? What should she do?

"We wouldn't go near him, for starters." A collection of voices said to her. She turned her head to see something strange, even by this place's standards. A person made of biomass was standing before a console. It was constantly changing, growing taller and pale before shrinking and getting darker. A woman's head, a man's hand, a boy's legs… Constantly changing.

"A…Alex?" She asked. She couldn't believe it, but it might be possible.

"Korra should call us Blacklight." It said, not facing her. "Korra should be fine soon. We've moved away from the danger." Indeed, her skin was feeling better now. But then she realised something important.

"Danger? What about my body? What happened to it?"

"We don't know. Korra started moving on its own. Korra told Mako to burn us. We were too busy fighting War Korra started to defend ourselves. But we managed to sneak away part of us. We are all still safe. But still confused. How could Korra be out there, and in here? Is Korra insane? Korra has multiple personality disorder?"

"I don't know. Probably. I mean, who can look inside your head and not go a bit crazy?"

"We…We do not know. We will have to think on… That was rhetorical, was it not?"

"Yeah." This was as good a chance as she could get. "Alex…Blacklight. There's so much about you I don't know. I'm so scared, and confused, and… and I want answers."

"What will our answers do for Korra?"

"Heller told me how you caused the Outbreaks back on your world willingly. I need to know if you're a threat to us all."

"We are." He answered bluntly, finally turning to face her. His face was blank. Nothing whatsoever. "We are a virus. We are the worst virus ever found. But we think you mean if Alex is dangerous to Korra."

"Are you?"

"We… do not know." He turned to look at the Alex chained to the wall. "Heller is confused. Filled with hate. Cannot see Blacklight as separate. Does not understand us."

"Then let _me_. Tell me what drives you." This was what she was here for. To find out the truth. Alex stared at her before walking over. He took on his normal look as he came, making it more confusing.

"Alright then. I suppose I should start at the beginning. Or around that at least. I don't think we need to go over how dangerous the Virus is, so we'll start with the First Outbreak." He took a deep breath. "I was originally made in a lab, to be even more dangerous than my predecessor, Redlight. The scientist that achieved it didn't care that he was making a weapon, improving something that could've already wiped out mankind. He only cared about the pay-check, and how things affected him. He later found out that someone tried to blab about me to the public, and was silenced. And then Blackwatch decided to remove any loose ends. Anything that wasn't irreplaceable. Including him. So, he grabbed a sample of me, and ran for Penn Station." Penn Station. She remembered that. Alex had thrown a vial at the ground.

"Was he you?" She asked. He looked a bit surprised.

"Yeah. The original Alex Mercer. A man who'd kill the world in revenge for his death. I have him chained up down here, and now I'm just a man that looks like him. Because I became him when he was dying, I lost his memories. By the time I got them back, I was a better man than him. I went off to find a place for myself, a place I can call my own. All I found was pain and misery. People that only cared about themselves." The room changed, turning into a hallway filled with pictures of young people with a kind old man. They must've been his family. "This was the worst. Look at all these pictures. Look at all the kids and grandkids this guy had." The hallway vanished, showing the old man in person. But he was a rotting corpse, green with age and wit flies buzzing around. "So how could someone with that many people be left here for months without anyone realising he was dead?"

"I… I don't know." She admitted. She couldn't believe it either. It could've happen back when Aang was around. But things were more advanced in this age. And Alex was even further ahead. "I honestly don't know."

Alex stared at her for longer before sighing and continuing. "I decided to head far North, hoped that spending some time away from crowds would help me think. I rented a place from a father and daughter, Flint and Dawn, people who seemed kind and helpful. I got to know them better, even started loving Dawn. I really thought I could live out there. I thought I had found my place in the world. But then, a shady businessman showed up one day. He was buying all the property around, and apparently Flint knew him from old business deals. That night, after he refused, I woke up to find two guy about to burn the place down with everyone in it. I killed them, and found that the order came from Zurich." A memory played on a screen, showing the order being given. "I went to confront him in my usual way, and I found out how Flint knew him." More memories played, but they all were about a gruff man threatening people for Zurich. "He lied to me. He betrayed me. I thought I could trust him. So I killed him. And then I went to find Dawn."

"To kill her too? That's a bit extreme. She couldn't help it that her father was an enforcer."

"No, not to kill. To have her leave with me. To find somewhere we could be together. But she betrayed me too. She found my money I had stashed, a lot of it. And she shot me dead. She said she was never going to let me leave with that kind of loot on me. I killed her too, and I realised that man was flawed."

"But… it…"

"We were poisoning the planet, Korra. We were overeating everything, hunting creatures to extinction. Lands were dying from waste, seas were filled with toxin, even the very thing that keeps all the air on Earth was falling apart. Can you look at all that's happened to me and say otherwise?" She tried, but her mouth wouldn't work. He was right. "All the people screaming in pain, for vengeance, for revenge. It was too much. I lost it. And I listened to Greene. She told me how the world only belonged to Man because they were the strongest. But now the Infected we stronger. They had a hive mind. They did not lie to each other, or hurt one another. The world needed saving. And as the strongest being on the planet, no matter how much I didn't want to, the responsibility fell to me.

"And you went back to New York." She realised. "To start up a revolution."

"Yes. I wasn't really trying though. I wasn't putting my all in like Amon is. Why do you think I'd choose a city Blackwatch would know how to protect? I expected them to prove to me they deserved a second chance. But Blackwatch failed. I kept gaining more and more ground. I had to find another way. And then I ran into Heller. I didn't give him a second glance when he survived my attack on his APC and slit my throat. But then he got back up and stabbed me again. Even when I knocked him down, he still got back up. I led him further into Infected territory, to see what he would do. You have seen my memories of the Hunters?" She nodded, remembering the giant Polar bear-dog creatures. "He killed on with a knife. Most people fail with a tank. I confronted him, and he still went to attack me. And I knew he was the one. The one that could change things. And so I made him like me, and got him working against Blackwatch. I waited to see if he would find out what I did."

"He said you murdered his family."

"I did, in a sense. Infected killed his wife, and Blackwatch took his daughter. So, he blamed me for being the root of his pain. He ended up disrupting some plans I had made, infiltrating Blackwatch and Gentek. He managed to do something both groups missed completely. Hell, most of their higher ups worked for me."

"No wonder you gave up on them." She knew it wasn't really funny. But after all the stress she had gone through, she couldn't stop herself.

"I know. He managed to notice my 'slip of the tongue', and investigated. His contact found footage of me infecting Penn Station, evidence I could've easily removed. This led him to really put some effort into stopping me. He found out that Blackwatch was manufacturing a cure, and I had already infected it. If they cared about that cure, then they would've guarded it better. He stopped that plan, and I confronted him. I wanted to see if he would resist me. And he did. I knew I had to motivate him further. So I had a group of Infected go after his ally."

"That's horrible." Korra said, but mostly to herself. This was solid proof that Alex worked on a different morality scale than she did. He didn't seem to realise just how evil it was to kill a man to motivate someone. Maybe it was just because of his upbringing.

"It worked. He went after everyone I had working for me, getting stronger and stronger. But he still wasn't perfect. He found out about his daughter, and wanted to go and save her instead of the city. Can you believe that? He cared more about one girl, than about stopping me from ending Mankind. Luckily, my sister Dana convinced him to save New York Zero while she went looking for Amaya Heller. Even after dealing with some more of my men, I was worried he was just going to leave me with my 'job'."

"So you grabbed Amaya yourself." She figured.

"A man can do anything if you have the right motivation. So Heller finally confronted me, I consumed my last Evolved to be sure it was just him and me, and then we fought. It was a brutal fight, even when I held back my punches. His tenacity and ability to improve the Virus' power impressed me. When he ripped away enough Biomass, instead of healing over I just surrendered. Let saving the world be _his_ problem. He chose to collect all of the virus in the city."

"What about Amaya? What did you do to her?"

"Nothing. I locked her and Dana in a near impenetrable vault. Sure, I said some things to rile him up, but I figured if he couldn't stop me then it didn't matter. I honestly expected to just disappear into the mass of minds and memories. But I was stronger than I realised. I was still awake, still conscious. I could still see, hear and experience everything Heller could. We heard reports of Blackwatch being up to something, but Heller wasn't interested. He wasn't doing anything really. He had Dana take Amaya to somewhere safe."

"So, did you figure if he wasn't doing anything with his body you'd borrow it?"

"Yeah. I took over, and I went to fight Blackwatch. And that's how I ended up here." There was silence for a while. "So what do you want to do with me? Am I worthy of living still?"

"Alex…" She stopped, before trying again. "You're easily the scariest thing I've ever met. Even Amon looks weak compared to you. A big part of me wants to just burn you to nothing and forget you ever existed. But, you've never had someone to teach you. You're like a child, doing whatever you want. I think that if someone was to teach you morality, _proper_ morality, then you might do something good."

"You think it's that easy. Just teach me right from wrong and ignore the fact that my instincts are to infect everything around me. And what's to stop the people of this world from becoming just as bad? They're already showing the signs."

"You don't need to like everyone Alex. No matter where you go, there will always be people that prey upon the weak. You just need to remember that there are good people too." Alex looked at her, before smiling. It was very shaky and bad, like he never smiled once.

"I'll need to get everything back to normal and under control first. But if you're willing to teach me morality, then ok. What should I call you? Avatar, Mentor, teacher, boss?"

"Friend. You can call me your friend." Her hand was very shaky, but she finally grabbed his hand and shook it. He looked surprised. "Now, care to explain why my body left without me?"

"I've been thinking about that while we talked, and I _might_ have an idea. It's hard to tell since _someone's_ been starting riots, but I think one of the souls in here hijacked your body."

"There's… There's someone walking around in my body?" Korra was disgusted. Some lowlife freak was going around as her.

"Yeah. The burning from before was probably them trying to destroy us." He looked around the room for a bit before looking back at her with a smirk. "I think I've got an idea. I'll just need your help to 'corral' everyone. Do that, and I'll help you get your body back."

"Deal."

* * *

Corralling had been easy with Alex's help. Everyone was busy helping against the Infected, and what was left was too weak to fight back. Alex's Evolved reformed in time to help get them all moving, and Alex rebuilt the walls easily. The only problem was Heller.

"You fucking traitor!" He yelled at her. "You're siding with him? He's going to destroy your world!"

"Not if he learns how to be nice." Korra responded, getting nervous. Bending is useful, but it didn't really stop Heller before. "He wants a chance to reform himself. Why should we deny him a chance?"

"Because he's a fucking monster!" Heller moved to punch her, but he was still weak from the fighting earlier. She managed to dodge it, and used Earthbending to send him flying. He tried to jump over the Wall, but Alex showed up to stop him. One moment, Alex was moving to kick him. The next, Heller was gone into the horizon. Alex assured her he wouldn't reform for a while, long enough to get her back. Now, they were standing at the top of Gentek, a circular platform on the ground.

"This is how I'm visualising control for you." Alex explained. When you step onto this platform, you'll be the one calling the shots. I'll try my best to keep the noise down for you."

"I thought I had to be a part of you to take control." She said, confused. Sure, Heller was pig-headed, but he couldn't be wrong all the time. And she wanted to be careful about all this.

"Well, since you don't have a body anymore, I guess you can say you _are_ a part of me. For the moment." She took a deep breath, steeling herself. She stepped onto the platform, feeling her body grow strange. The things she normally felt were muted, or gone. Her vision clouded over, and everything turned black.

"Ok, connections are good." Alex said. "Now, first thing you need to do is find some more biomass. Just let your senses reach out." Korra slowed her breathing, and meditated. Instantly, her world lit up. She could see masses of red and yellow wandering around. As she looked around, she could smell something… yummy. Like seaweed noodles. Was this how Alex saw people? As walking buffets? No wonder he had trouble not eating people. She was starving. As she looked around, she saw a yellow mass get closer to her, stumbling and getting lower. When he was just past her, he fell over, and his colours faded again.

"Cool. That means he's dead… I mean, that's bad. But good for us. You don't need to worry about having a new passenger. Now, just think about walking to him and eating him." She did as he said, and she was surprised how fast Alex could go. She was there in record time, and the man was fading into her. It was… Surprisingly easy. She could tell what the next step would be. She concentrated on what she looked like, what she was wearing. She felt like her muscles were stretching, and her body gained weight. Everything started feeling familiar, and she opened her eyes. The world was more vibrant than before. She could see the individual stones making up the wall. She could hear a conversation far away like they were right next to her. And she felt so light, and stronger too. Even her clothes felt the same, allowing her to notice the different textures the biomass had taken. This… this was incredible.

"Don't let it go to your head. I want this body back when you're done."

"I know. She said aloud, clenching her hands.

"Let's get my body back."

* * *

"Look, Korra. You don't need to be so jumpy." Bolin assured her as she kept looking around the room. Ever since they destroyed Alex, Tenzin had the family around her to make sure she was perfectly fine. He had to admit though, she was acting differently. This wasn't the awesome, brave girl he knew (and had a crush on). Korra was now… more timid. Like she was worried a murderer was going to attack her at any moment. "Alex is long gone. We saw to that. He burned to nothing."

"Not safe. Never safe." She whispered to herself. Man, going into Alex's head _really_ must've messed her up.

"Mommy, mommy. Look." Ikki started shouting. They all turned, and stared in shock.

Korra was walking up the stairs, looking ready for a fight. Everything about her, her looks, her personality, it was all exactly as he remembered. But how could there be two of them? They saw Korra pull free of Alex. Unless he could make a clone of her. He made a topless copy of her before. Which was going to haunt his nightmares for a while. But it was _mostly_ her then.

"I don't know how you survived Mercer, but you're not taking another step." Mako threatened, standing in Korra's way. She stopped, and pointed at their Korra.

"I'm not Alex. And that is definitely _not_ me. Now give me back my body, thief!"

"I… I'm not a thief. You… You're just trying to trick us Alex. You're not going to get me." Korra was nearly wetting herself in fear. Bolin promised to protect her with all his might. Other Korra (Or Alex-Korra) seemed to be listening to something, before smirking at them.

"Alright then. If you're really me, Then what are my parents' names." Ooh, that was a good question. And Bolin was really curious too. Their Korra looked around wildly for several seconds.

"This is _my_ body now!" Korra shouted, throwing a massive fireball at Alex-Korra. She was engulfed in fire, burning for several seconds. But then Bolin looked back to see the Korras grappling with each other.

What was going on?

* * *

Korra looked in triumph as the thief panicked, attacking her. Fires never seemed to bother Alex much, and now she knew why. The world seemed to slow down for her, allowing her to watch the flames reach her at a snail's pace. At the last moment, she jumped overhead, amazed at the distance she cleared. Everyone looked like ants to her now. As the fire still burned where she stood, she aimed to drop down behind herself. When she landed, the thief barely had time to react before Korra grabbed her. She tried to struggle, But Alex was too strong. This… This was amazing. It was all she could do to not get addicted to this.

"You done praising me yet?" Alex asked. "Because I think you'd want to go home as soon as possible." She nodded, touching her body on the forehead. She felt herself rushing at impossible speeds, until she was standing outside an igloo. _Her_ igloo, where she lived with her family as a child. Before the White Lotus found out she was the Avatar. She stepped inside to find the thief trembling. She was another blond-haired lady, but while the last lady looked nearly white, hers was yellow. She was dressed in a suit with a white shirt, and was trembling with fear.

"No." She was saying. "No, please. You can't send me back. I'm not going back. I can't live in that monster."

"Well that doesn't mean you can steal my body while I'm stopping him from rampaging." Korra countered, punching her in the face. The thief cried out in pain, tears running down her face. "Now get out of my head." Korra picked the girl up with both hands, and tossed her out the door. As she left screaming, Korra felt a rush of sensations. She blearily woke up to find herself looking down, before Alex returned to normal. They were soon surrounded by everyone.

"Alex, help me stand." She whispered. Alex nodded, supporting her with one arm while raising the other. "Everyone, stop. Alex is friendly now."

"Friendly? But you said he had to be destroyed. How do we know you're really Korra and not some monster he made?"

"My parents are name Tonraq and Senna. My father is from the Northern Water Tribe, and my mother was born in the South." Tenzin studied her for a while, before lowering his stance. Everyone looked at him is shock.

"I believe you Korra. But you'll have to explain everything to us. We need to know what changed your mind about him."

"I will."

* * *

"…And police still refuse to talk about what happened over by the docks earlier today, only reporting it as a spirit attack. Meanwhile, non-benders are up in arms over the death of their friends and families, saying that Blackwatch clearly did more to save them than the 'bending establishment'." Redcliffe turned off the radio, filling the room with silence.

"While I loath to admit it, the attack by Zeus was perfect. No visible signs of infection, we landed a huge blow against him, and we just got more popular in the eyes of the people." He said to Amon.

"Yes. This was truly a blessing, in a sense." They turned to see Asami Sato standing next to her father, dressed in Equalist leathers. "We're getting one step closer with every moment."

"By the end of the month, we'll have freed Republic City and removed every bender."

**And finished. This was really enjoyable. I really wanted to do this scene of Korra inside Alex's head. I'd like to thank Trondason for suggesting the reasons behind Alex's attacks. They were similar to my own ideas, and I really liked them. I chose to have Alex as someone that never really got morality, and Korra's gonna be around to teach him. Maybe not the best teacher, but she can help. And Asami's part of the Equalists. Dun, dun, duun. Why is this? Wait and see.**

…**Dammit. I left another cliffhanger.**

**(Oh, and Heller's going to be a bad guy because to him, Alex will never change. Any problem is going to be his fault. And he's not too happy with Korra right now.)**

**Edit: Oh, and Alex managed to take Heller out so easily is because was really trying, and this isn't actually real. The city and everything in it is just how Korra sees Alex's head. In truth, it would probably make Chthulu puke his guts out (or something like that). Also, as Alex said, he hadn't been hitting his best last time. This time, he can't fool around.**


	6. 00-Asami: Die This Very Day

**Hey fans. Sorry this has taken so long. It's been a bit busy here, what with having so many stories at once, life in general, work, renovations and Destiny coming out. I must confess I also had a bit of trouble figuring this chapter out beyond 'Alex goes into Blackwatch base to find Asami, tears it apart like a boss'. In the original idea, the ending wasn't even as badass as it will be.**

**So enjoy.**

Chapter 6: 00-Asami: Die This Very Day

_She stood up for us._ Alex was still having a hard time comprehending that. He was a virus, a living weapon of unparalleled destructive power. Humans were selfish, greedy and petty creatures cared only about their survival. In many ways similar yet different from each other. And yet Korra believed there was enough good in him to save him. To defend him to the others.

_She only saved us because she knew she couldn't stop us._ Greene whispered in his head. He shook her away. While that may be true, she… she saw more than a monster. She saw potential. A part of him, a part based on good people, didn't want to abuse her trust.

Korra's pulse started racing under his hand as she jerked in her sleep. Alex concentrated, and his skin secreted relaxants to calm her down. After explaining some –not all, they didn't need to know all – of what made her change her mind, she passed out from exhaustion. The others were unsure as to why she went into shock, but Alex managed to calm her with a mere touch. Mako thought it was a trick of his, a way to keep himself around. But no matter what he believed, Alex was the only one on the island keeping her in check. All the other doctors were busy dealing with the victims of his attack. When Alex thought about that, he experienced an unusual pain. It was… The best analogy he could think of was that someone was striking him across the face, and he felt hurt. Not at the act, but at what he did to get hurt.

_Guilt._

Yes, guilt. He felt guilty. Those doctors were busy because of him. But he never felt guilty before. He didn't feel anything for those he hurt during his attacks. They were his enemies. He had to destroy them for good reasons. What did it matter if some people got hurt along the way?

_Korra wouldn't do that._

His musings were interrupted as Mako came stomping in, a frown adorning his face. Alex was never really bothered by others' emotions. When you've been 'killed' three times already, an expression wasn't going to be dangerous.

"She's still stable." He said aloud. "She had a few nightmares, but I think she's through the worst of it." Mako ignored him, shoving him aside to check her himself. Alex moved more because he didn't want to fight right on top of Korra. Once Mako made sure she was still alright – a difficult thing to do when you don't have any medical knowledge – he reached out to get her a drink. "I've already hydrated her. You overdo it and she'll be busting for a piss." Once again, Mako ignored him. Now secure in the knowledge she was safe, he finally turned to face Alex.

"If she's through the worst of it, then you can leave." He said angrily. Alex smirked and shook his head.

"No can do, Emo. I like it here. It's pretty peaceful here. And at least I'll know if anyone's a part of Blackwatch. Besides, Korra wouldn't be too happy to find out you kicked me out."

"What makes you think she'll want you here? You're a monster. As soon as she wakes up, she'll realise how stupid it was to let you stay. To let you live. No one here likes you."

"Oh I know that. The thing you seem to have trouble with understanding is that I _don't care_. Your opinion doesn't matter at all to me. In fact, the only reason I even acknowledge you is because Korra knows you. But don't think for one second I won't knock you six ways to next week if you keep being an annoyance. And we both know I could easily do that." Mako kept glaring at him, but didn't rise to the challenge. "Korra's my…" _Friend? Ally? Associate? _"she's someone I don't feel like fighting. So why don't you take your attitude out of here before I do something you'll regret?"

"…Korra will see reason soon enough. Then I'll get you out of my city one way or another." He replied as he left the room. Alex didn't care. He heard that enough times that it lost all meaning. People like him weren't even a problem anymore. Sticks and stones and all that.

"You can stop pretending. I know you're awake." He detected the change in her breathing patterns a few minutes ago. Mako hadn't even realised that she heard them arguing. Korra opened her eyes blearily, looking at Alex with… what exactly? Fear? Anger? Hatred?

_Pity._

"That right there is something we need to work on." She whispered hoarsely. "You can't keep threatening to kill people when they keep pushing you."

Alex shrugged. "His words don't bother me. And he can't really push me around."

"Words _do_ bother you. You may try to hide it, but whenever you go ballistic over Blackwatch you're being bothered by them. And I don't mean pushing you around with force. You run from things that you don't want to talk about."

"It's a weakness. You should just push through your problems."

"That's not how people act." Alex was getting… antsy about this conversation. A part of him wanted to leave and ignore her.

But that's what she meant. He was trying to avoid things he never thought about before.

"Alright then. So I can't avoid problems, and you say people don't just push through them. So how do I act around my problems?"

"Confront the source of them. Mako's afraid of you because you have no compunctions about killing anything that gets near you. Show to him that you have self-restraint."

Alex frowned. "I thought I already have. Isn't the fact that you guys are still alive weeks after I got here enough?"

"No, it isn't. Normal people don't immediately kill anything around them. They don't think like that. Your problem is that you've been acting like you've been hunted for so long that you've forgotten how to function without it." Had he? He tried to remember a time where he wasn't being hunted by something, or hunting after a threat that needed killing.

Nothing came to mind.

"So what do you want me to do? They've already decided I'm a monster that needs putting down. I doubt I can convince them otherwise."

"You can. It'll just take time. Once you show them you can be a normal person, they'll come around. Just ease up on the whole 'ripping people apart' thing. That'll smooth things over." She closed her eyes, her breath slowing down as she fell asleep again. Alex sat back down and mused over what she said. All his minds and memories told him that people showed they were friendly by helping others. Was that what he should do?

Hardly. Helping others. The strong grew stronger and the weak faltered. If one wasn't capable of helping themselves, then they deserved to be crushed, consumed to power the strong.

But Korra… Korra was different. He couldn't explain why, but she was.

And so he kept sitting by her side, watching her. And thinking.

* * *

"Ikki, where did you put my book on Airbending meditations?" Jinora called out.

_She hid it under her pillow, wanting to see what was so interesting._ But Alex didn't answer her. He just listened as they both argued about it.

"Meelo, have you seen my list of baby names?" Pema asked.

_Third list on your kitchen shelf._

"Hey Mako, I can't find my belt." That was Bolin.

_It fell under your bed._

"Where's Korra? I need to talk to her." Chief Beifong. Alex stood up as she entered the room, and watched as she started. "You." She had more venom in her voice than even Mako.

He ignored it, like everything else. "Korra is still resting." He told her. "Whatever you need to tell her about can wait."

"No, it can't. The city's in utter shambles thanks to you. We're all one spark away from exploding. Blackwatch and the Equalists are actually taking to the street. I hoped that Avatar Korra could placate them."

"Those problems aren't her concern. You should be doing your job properly, not trying to get us to do it." She wanted to hit him. He could see it in her expression, in her stance. She was standing lower to the ground, almost primal-like as she readied herself. It would be no trouble to smack her around the walls a few times and throw her out.

_Normal people don't think like that._

It took a few seconds – an eternity to people like him and Beifong – but she got her breathing back under control. She then looked him dead in the eye. "I _am_ doing my job. But no amount of training could prepare anyone for that walking abomination you turned into. Half of the district ended up missing during the attack. Most are probably dead. And Tenzin and the others are too busy debating what to do instead of doing it. Having Korra show up and calm people down could work wonders."

"Calm down the bending citizens you mean. 'Have no fear of the Equalists. Avatar Korra is here to kick them down'. The non-benders, the people the Equalists are rallying, see her as the epitome of their oppressors. Find some other idol." She looked like she was going to keep arguing, but then Mako came into the room.

"We've wasted enough time Chief Beifong." He said immediately. "Asami's been with the Equalists for a whole day. We need to get her out of there."

"As I already told you Mako, we don't even know where that is. She could be anywhere right now. Spirits, she could even be in whatever place they all came from."

"Maybe, but they'd need a forward base to operate from. We find that, we find out where Asami went." If they were all for hunting down Blackwatch, then he was up for it. "We just need somewhere to start."

"What's this 'we'? You're not coming with us. If Korra's really as 'indisposed' as you say, then shouldn't you stay here?"

"I said she's still resting. Her body's fine now, and she's most likely through the worst nightmares. Right now what she needs in a chance to rest and recover."

"Or maybe you're keeping her under to keep her from getting rid of you." Mako was right in his face now. He hated people getting right in his personal space. A leftover from the original Alex. He so wanted to rip that head clean off.

"Or maybe she's right here and tired of everyone arguing right over her bed." Korra said angrily as she looked at them. Alex checked her bio signatures. Still good, still well. This isn't causing her undo stress.

At least, not yet.

"Mako, I know you don't like it. But Alex knows Blackwatch better than anyone. He'll know the general layout, the defences, and the number of men. And he's good at tracking. These people aren't going to do things halfway. If we enter their base, we _need_ all the muscle we can deliver."

"But they also know more about him than we do. If they think he's dangerous enough to try and destroy a whole district just to kill him, then maybe we shouldn't trust him. At the very least they've got to have ways to spot him. I'd feel better if you came along to help."

"Out of the question." Alex interrupted. "She's still too weak to fight. She's going to stay right here, and I'm going instead." His tone made it clear there was no arguing with him.

"I don't want you there monster." Mako persisted. "I want people I can trust."

"And I thought I already told you that I don't really care what you want. Korra's staying right here, and I'll go in her place."

"Enough." Beifong stood between them. "It doesn't matter who's going if we don't know where to start. We need a point to go from or else we'll just go around the city willy-nilly. Mako, you said you lost them somewhere in downtown. Point out on a map where exactly and we'll start from that point."

"Right." Mako replied, stopping only to glare at Alex. The boy was rather thick-headed if he honestly thought that would work. In fact, he mused, the boy was probably thick enough to think that Korra _could_ fight with him. A stupid idea. Was it just because Alex said she couldn't? He looked back at her to find her sleeping again. To have fallen asleep again so soon, she must still need a lot of recovery. There was no way she was in any condition to assault a heavily armed fortress.

Times to make plans of his own.

"Jinora, Ikki." He called out. "Can you both help me with something?"

* * *

They had their plan. Beifong believed that Blackwatch was probably set up underground, explaining why they never found them before. There had to be tunnels not too far from where they lost Bolin that first night. The one where Alex probably killed those guys on purpose. He was a threat to all of them, but apparently he was the only one who understood that he needed to be stopped. The others were content to just try not to provoke him, and Korra and Bolin were trying to act like he was their best friend. But Mako remembered that monster he became. His real form.

There was no way he was letting Korra stay with him any longer.

He snuck through the hallways back to Korra's room, peeking round the corners. As he rounded the last corner, he nearly stumbled into Alex himself. He was stretching, walking off towards the dining room. Guess he needed to eat still. Good. That got rid of his biggest worry. He was under no illusions that he could beat Alex in a fight. Quick as he could, he moved into her room to find her snoozing away peacefully. After he got Asami back, he was going to try and get her to somewhere Alex would never find her. He grabbed her carefully, noting how hot she felt against his hands. For a second, part of him wondered whether he should be doing this. He shook it aside. Even if Korra wasn't actually capable of fighting, he should still get her to a _real_ doctor. He looked out to see that the coast was still clear. With as much stealth as he could, he snuck back down the hallway to the boat back to the mainland. He got to the stairs before Korra started stirring.

"Wuh? What's going on?" She asked, wriggling a bit. "Mako? Is that you?"

"Don't worry Korra. I've got you."

"Are… Are you abducting me?"

"No. I'm rescuing you. Can you stand?"

"I think so." He stopped, letting her off by the base of the stairs. Her footing was shaky, but she managed to stand by herself. He knew Alex was lying. "Why…? Asami." That wasn't a question. "I can't believe you. You're so worried about her that you were going to take me into a dangerous situation? What if I wasn't able to stand?"

"Then we'd get you to a doctor. I'm sure that there's got to be _someone_ out there not too busy dealing with Alex's rampage."

"_That's_ what this is about. You don't want my help. You just want to get me away from him. I can't believe you. _Really_ can't believe you."

"And I can't believe that you're still sticking up for him. Have you seen the damage he caused yesterday? He tore through an entire district and the whole Metalbending Police couldn't make a dent."

"All the more reason to not, you know, make him angry. His biggest problem is that he doesn't work on the same morality scale that we do. He doesn't really understand right and wrong. I'm hoping that I can teach him."

"Teach him? _Teach him?_ He's not a pet, he's not a friend. He's a monster that can look human." Understanding dawned on him. And it shocked him to the core. "But he's more than just a friend, isn't he? You do care about him."

"You… you care about friends, Mako. That's what makes them friends. People you care about who aren't related to you by blood."

"That's not what I meant. You're in love with that thing." That stopped her. She was so shocked that her face literally froze up. Even the sway of her hair had frozen.

"…Love? You… You think I'm in love with him? Why do you even care? You've got Asami." A light gleamed in her eyes. "But she's not who you really love, is she? You have feelings for me. You're pining for me when you've still got a girl. I can't tell if that's just wicked or selfish."

"Hey, you were the one who kissed me." He retorted hotly. He didn't want to admit it. Asami was his girl. He loved her. But the flame of Asami was a candle compared to Korra.

"And you kissed me back too, remember?"

"Uh hey, Mako?" Bolin tried to interrupt. But Mako ignored him.

"You're avoiding the question. I think you're so willing to overlook all Alex's faults because you're in love with him. What, do you have fantasies about his tentacles or something?"

"Hey guys."

"And what if I am? What does that even matter? Last time I checked I'm not your property. Not to mention that a girl can love a monster that looks like a guy without it being all about sex. I think you're just jealous of him."

"Guys."

And I think that you're risking everyone in Republic City just to try and train a killing machine." Mako retorted hotly.

"Guys!"

What?" Mako asked hotly. Korra smirked at him, before pointing back up the stairs. Mako turned around to see Korra sitting in a wheelchair pushed by Jinora and Ikki. She was awake. And she was looking at them all in shock.

A cold pit formed in his stomach.

"I thought I made it clear Mako." Korra – No, _Alex_ – whispered into his ear. "I'm going with you. One way or another." He waved at the kids. "Ok, take her back to her room. Make sure she gets plenty of rest and water. Hopefully, we'll all be back by nightfall."

"What if you're not?" Jinora asked as they started wheeling the real Korra away.

"Then _I'll_ be back by nightfall. C'mon, Emo. Let's go and get the girl you don't love and tell her the good news." He hopped onto the boat, humming some strange tune as he went.

He never even realised who it was. Who else was secretly this guy in one form or another?

* * *

Well, that had been informative. So Mako was so worried about Korra because he was in love with her. He recalled hundreds of memories about loving someone who wasn't his girl/wife/spouse/other. It quickly taught him that love was overrated. Just a bunch of chemicals convincing someone that the person thy saw had the right genes to create their children. Hardly worth the time. But what _was_ worth it was the fact that Mako was unfaithful in the first place. Maybe he should use that if Mako got too annoying for him.

Annoying. Mako was annoying him. Maybe he was getting to him more than Alex cared to admit.

"This was the place." Mako said as they entered the large square they fought in so many weeks ago. Alex still could vividly remember where everyone had been on that day. The truck had gone straight through, vanishing behind the buildings. He clicked his teeth, enacting his 'sixth sense' again, not really expecting to feel anything.

So imagine his surprise when he got a response.

To his eyes, an orange wave pulsed outwards from him, before returning somewhere to his left. Without saying a word he quickly ran up the side of the nearest building, jumping as he reached the top. He clicked his teeth again, watching as the pulse moved outwards again. As it reached a nearby drainage embankment, it quivered before racing back to him. A very faint trace, almost too faint to be detected. But she had gone down there. He found the others glaring at him as he slid back down the side of the building to them.

"There's an embankment not too far from here. Looks big enough for a small fleet of cars to go down without hitting each other." Beifong gave him a look, before removing the sole of her boot and slamming it down. Again, he felt the sense ping off himself, while it also reached out to the metal drainage cover at the embankment. She opened her eyes and nodded at him. They all made it there quickly, Alex noting the tire treads left in the piles of snow. Without missing a beat, he relaxed his biomass enough to move around the bars blocking the massive pipe without slowing down. Many of the people inside him wanted to try that for ages. He didn't stop as Beifong bended the turnable bars up. Odd. Maybe that was a feature, to go in and clear out any blockages. He clicked his teeth again, but the traces here were even weaker. The pulse raced away, but didn't return. Looks like he was going to have to rely on the others. A cheating boy, a hardnosed hag, and Bolin.

Fun.

It didn't take them long to reach a large junction of pipes, each lined up like the lines of a clock. Alex tried one more pulse, but he got nothing. So he decided to use his more 'normal' senses. His nose was assaulted with a variety of smells. Oil, waste, heat, sweat. His ears heard the creaking of metal pipes, the scurrying of rats, and the heartbeats of the others.

And he also picked up the very faint traces of Asami's shampoo.

"That one." He pointed down the 3 O'clock tunnel. "We should start there."

"Well I think that we should try this tunnel." Mako retorted, pointing down the 10 O'clock tunnel. Alex checked it out, but all he got was refuse and rats.

"Look. As I have reiterated _many, many_ times, you don't like me. And I get why. But acting like an idiot for the sake of arguing with me is stupid."

"Well then what made you choose that particular tunnel?" Beifong asked him. Points to her, she was willing to put the mission first.

"I smelled motor oil, human sweat, and picked up a bit more heat than what should be normal. I heard the sounds of metal clanging in rhythm, a few heartbeats and murmured conversations. But mostly I got a whiff of Asami's hair scent. Good thing for us she like her hair all perfumy."

"Well, that's good enough for me. Lead the way, O hunter of women." Bolin said jovially as he went to go down the tunnel. Alex rolled his eyes at that. 'O hunter of women'. Who speaks like that anyway?

They hadn't been going for long when Alex noticed that the sensations he noted seemed to be coming through the wall. That was a problem, considering how smooth and seamless they appeared. He could always smash his way through, but that would most likely notify Blackwatch that he was down here. No, there had to be a way in. But how? As he pondered that, he picked up the sound of an engine. The others heard it too. They had already gone to hide behind a pillar, leaving Alex out in the open. And he could already see the lights of a satomobile approaching. Still, there was a trick he wanted to try again for a long while. He stepped back against the metal wall, shifting as he pressed against it. His body became larger and flatter, taking on the appearance and texture of the metal beneath him. True, it wasn't a perfect replica – he always had a bit of trouble mimicking non-organic materials – but as long as no one touched him it would do. He also formed tiny light-detecting senses so he could see what was happening. If a satomobile was all the way down here, then it had to be Blackwatch. He longed to consume them.

_Wait till they enter the base. They don't know we're here just yet._

The satomobile passed without a shout, slowing down as it reached a straight area of the wall. The wall hissed as it lifted up on hinges. And once the jeep had passed on through, they all moved out of cover. Alex slithered his way over as Beifong used Metalbending to activate the door again. A brightly lit tunnel welcomed them.

"Damn. I was looking forward to tearing a hole in the wall."

* * *

Asami felt horrified as she learnt just how big Blackwatch really was. She first thought that this underground base she was in was a small outpost with only a few dozen people. But she quickly learnt that it was a sizable fortress, with nearly a hundred men both Equalists and Blackwatch. This must be their main base. The odds of her getting rescued were getting slimmer with every moment. And the odds of her getting captured were getting more likely too. Her heart leapt as she stumbled into the Blackwatch barracks. All the soldiers turned to look at her, only noting her uniform before going back to whatever they were doing. They were so… alien. Their skin ranged from pale white to darker than even the Water Tribes. Their hair was a rainbow of colours, colours she thought couldn't be natural. Even their language was bizarre, sounding both flute-like and guttural at the same time. As she watched a bunch of them were watching a strange little box with a moving picture and sound coming from it. It was beyond bizarre.

"Got turned around again, new girl?" Another Equalist, Seraiki, said to her. She had been assigned to be like her babysitter, making sure she knew where everything was. And it went unspoken that she was also meant to make sure she didn't go anywhere she wasn't allowed. "It _can_ get a bit confusing at times. Just remember: the good guys are on the right, and the creepy dudes in black are on the left. Stay away from them."

"Stay away? I thought we were all working together." Asami said as they left. Maybe she could try and find somewhere they could start a rift.

"Doesn't mean we have to like them. Just the other day Chong was sent to the sick bay because he put his bag in the wrong spot. They're not interested in equality. They just want to break things. Hell, I'm pretty sure some of them are benders."

"Benders? But we're against all benders. Why would we work with them if they're benders?"

Don't know. But I think I might have an idea. You see all that advanced tech they've got? Radios that fit into your helmet? Strange staffs that shoot metal at people? Whoever these guys really are, they're a lot more advanced than we are. And as far as I can tell, all they want in payment are those we debend. And then those guys just vanish. Weird, right?"

"This… This doesn't sound right. I mean, I'm all for equality. But no one said anything about abducting people." An idea came to her. It was likely a long shot, but she could still use it. "I just remembered something. You remember that massive monster that attacked Republic City?"

"Remember it? I bet there isn't a kingdom out there that hasn't heard of it by now. And I also remember how the bending society's finest couldn't even stop it. Blackwatch were the guys that finally took it down."

"And you don't find it the slightest bit strange that they managed to get some really heavy weapons up and running so quickly? You could probably level the city with what they had." Seraiki looked like she was interested, so Asami kept talking. "I was there when Avatar Korra accidently went into that monster's mind. She said that Blackwatch _made_ it as a weapon. It got loose, and now they're here to grab it again, heedless of the people that get killed in the process." She was about to continue when the third member of their group came running up to them. Hoi Tong was a cheerful guy that reminded her so much of Bolin. The young man was nice, thoughtful and generally meant well. He even had a good reason to dislike benders, unlike some other people. His grandparents were taken by the Dai Li back in Ba Sing Se, forcing his mother to flee to the Fire Nation Colonies. After the Hundred Year War ended, and Avatar Aang and Fire Lord Zuko formed the United Republic of Nations, she ended up living in Republic City. When Hoi was a child, The Red Monsoons tried to rob them, and killed his folks when they tried to stop him. All he really wanted was for non-benders to have someone on the Council looking out for them besides Councilman Tenzin.

"Hey guys." He said cheerfully. "Have any of you seen Wan Ton recently?"

"I think he was assigned to the tram station by the entrance." Seraiki mentioned. "Why?"

"The chief wants us all to learn how to use that Blackwatch tech being handed out. Figured it'd be good to learn how to use it right?"

"Good idea. I don't want these guys having a monopoly on this tech. We'd better go grab him." They headed off as quickly as the cramped halls would allow them. As Asami passed more Blackwatch men, she was annoyed as she felt several of them checking her out. She got that the outfit covered her whole body and didn't have anything dangling to grab hold of, but did it have to be so tight? Luckily, they all stayed behind as they got on the tram. It was easy going once they reached the station area, and then they were redirected to the entrance. Along the way, they grabbed some hoods and gloves just in case. It was a rule for anyone going to the entrance. They found Wan almost falling asleep at his station, flicking his shock glove on and off.

"Better be careful Wan. Old Glovehead would blow a gasket if he knew you were lazing about on the job." Hoi joked as he gave their teammate a head rub. "Having fun right now?"

"Nah. The only interesting thing was one of the groups coming back in. And these weird pictures of theirs look stupid. Who wants to look at grey paintings all day long. I mean, the Blackwatch dude told me that they were important to security. As if." He and Hoi started laughing, but they looked in confusion as a strange device nearby started beeping. It was built on a short tower, with two curved arms pointing upwards. Right now, those arms were spinning around as it started leaning.

"Hey Wan. What is this thing?" Asami asked. Maybe if she knew what it was, she could stop it and get out. Or let help in.

"Don't know." He shrugged. "All I got told was that if it started spinning to sound the alarm."

"Hold on." Seraiki stopped him. "You mean the one that alerts the whole base if sounded? Why would they need that? Does it detect people?"

"Doubt it. It didn't do anything when the last guys came through. And I highly doubt Blackwatch's got good enough tech to detect benders approaching." As they were talking, the device was starting to spin faster and faster. It was now pointing almost directly into the tunnel, and the beeping was almost continuous. She was starting to get nervous. "Well, whatever it is, I'm sure we can handle it by ourselves. Just think, we could get medals or something if we pull this off."

"Your orders were to sound the general alarm if it started going crazy, and that's what you should do." Seraiki moved to go and push it, but then there was a short hiss sound. She suddenly keeled over as a dark liquid splattered over the instruments.

"What the hell?" Wan squeaked, moving over to check on her. He barely got within a few steps before another hiss sounded. He spun around before falling to the ground, a black spike sticking out of his eye. Hoi and Asami started backing away.

"Asami, get to the tram and warn the others." Hoi ordered her, sounding deadly serious. She hated having to do this, but she had to.

"I'm sorry Hoi." She whispered, before sticking her shock gauntlet against his back. He jerked suddenly as she shocked him, before falling to the ground in a heap. As she did so, she looked up to see Mako, Bolin and Chief Beifong walking out of the shadows. And right behind them was…

Alex Mercer.

"Well that was an easy rescue mission. Our girl's already waiting for us out here." He smirked as he got closer. She noted that his arm was changed, made of black armour with a thicker part on top. On the front were a series of holes. That must be how he fired that spike. And he was getting closer to her. The monster was getting closer to her. Oh spirits.

"It's alright Miss Sato." Beifong consoled her. "For the moment at least, he's on Korra's side. We need to get you out of here immediately."

"Wait. What about the others?" She was worried. As much as she hated to admit it, a monster like Alex could tear this place apart in seconds. "This place is important. It's probably the main base."

"Doubt it." Alex said, standing over Hoi. Asami rushed over and started pulling him away from Alex. The monster frowned, but didn't go after her. "Standard orders are that you don't show the main fortifications to anyone you don't fully trust. And there would be at least a few dozen guards out here instead of four newbies. What did you see while you were playing Equalist?"

"I… saw a few mecha tanks. But they seem to be getting upgrades. Blackwatch were installing shells of some kind to the outside. I think they said they were 'neigh-pom' or something."

"Napalm. A highly combustible material. Anything struck with that is going to burn long and hot. Even me. Guess they really are learning from their mistakes. Geez, Helicopters. Napalm. Thermobaric tanks. Makes me wonder what else they brought over to here." He stopped musing. "We need to tear this place down."

"No." Mako growled. "We came here to rescue Asami. We've got her, we can leave. I'm not risking our lives to take on an entire base."

"Who said you were helping? I've got all the fire power I need. Bolin and Beifong can help out. And I know Beifong at least wants this place shut down."

She nodded. "I saw what was left after their attack on Mercer. If it's capable of hurting him, then we can't let it go. Who knows how much damage they could cause with it."

"I'm staying. I know this place and people know me." Asami wanted to see this through. Maybe if Alex was being more… agreeable, she could direct him away from people. "But you guys stick out like a sore thumb." And the device was still going. Only now it was pointing towards Alex. He smashed it apart with his elbow, a spike growing out of it. "And I think there are a few more of those lying around."

"I've got experience hiding from those. I'll be fine." He looked over at Wan, grabbing him by the head as tendrils slithered over his body. Wan disappeared into his hand, while he changed to look exactly like him. "But yeah, you two will cause us problems. Give me a sec." Tendrils shot out of his hands, wrapping around Bolin before he could react. As Beifong moved to fight him, Alex dropped Bolin. He was now wearing an Equalist Suit of his own, one that hid the slight paunch he had normally. Alex removed his mask long enough to give Beifong a smug smirk. She glared at him, but didn't move as his tendrils reached out to her. As soon as she was covered everyone looked at Mako. "Sorry, pretty boy. Asami was part of a four-man squad. You'll stick out like a sore thumb. Go back home."

"Not without Asami." He replied, looking sterner than ever. Alex looked at him before rubbing his chin.

"Actually, I think I _do_ have a use for you."

* * *

"Eyes forward bender." Alex said in Wan's voice, cuffing Mako round the head. Mako glared at him, but kept walking. Soon, they were in the main station with about a dozen other Equalist and Blackwatch members. "Hey guys. Look at what I caught. A bender trying to rescue his 'girlfriend'. Must be pretty stupid to wander in her all on his own."

"Good job Wan." Guess you weren't sleeping on the job for once." One of the officers said. "Get him to the detention cell and we'll ship him off to Amon later. Right now though, I think a certain someone has been waiting for you lot to finally report back." Oh right. The training. Asami had completely forgotten about that. She was worried that the longer they were in here, the more likely someone would notice something.

"Tell the old man he can wait until _after_ we get this guy in lock up. Who knows what kinds of shiny, expensive and highly flammable stuff Blackwatch brought with them." He cuffed Mako over the head again. "Hey, those staff things they got. Who wants to bet I can make this kid dance with them?"

"Don't bother Wan. The higher ups will throw a fit if you waste 'ammo' on that sort of thing. Just get him moving." Alex nodded, letting Asami take them to the right tram. Once they were on it, Mako glared at him again.

"Will you stop hitting me over the head? It's really getting old."

"Oh quit whining you big baby. It's barely a love tap."

"And why did you ask for a gun? If they're as dangerous as you say then I don't want it anywhere near me."

"As tempting as it would be, it wasn't going to be for you. With a full cartridge I could've wasted the whole room before they reacted."

"No. We want to sabotage this stuff without blowing our cover." Beifong said sharply. "Not all of us are immune to damage."

"Here's our stop." Asami interrupted a they pulled close to an access tunnel. Alex grabbed all of them and literally stepped off the tram, landing lightly to the ground. They followed the tunnel to the Armoury area. But once they got there, they saw a group of Blackwatch soldiers standing around, talking to one another. Alex moved on ahead as the others backed away. She heard the soldiers say something before there were several thuds and snaps. Alex tapped on the wall and they came out to find the place empty. She shivered as she imagined what Alex did to the bodies. Like what he did to Wan.

She liked him. He might've been planning on hurting her bending friends, but he was nice.

"Holy motherload." Alex whistled as he opened one of the containers lying around. Inside it were strange lumpy black staffs with a large barrel in the centre. "That'll do nicely." He grabbed one and threw it at them, ignoring their outbursts. He also seemed to have forgotten that Mako was actually handcuffed to make it convincing. "Now, the lever on the side is the safety. Flip it up to use, and down to lock it. Point the end at anything you want to see in a few dozen pieces, but wait till I get things rolling. Beifong, help me mangle these things first. Pull this front bit away from the handle." Beifong used her Metalbending to twist the weapons apart, while Alex just tore them by hand. "Ok then. Now that we've gotten some goodies, let's go and tear this place apart." Alex touched their uniforms and the layer he made changed to become black and white. Blackwatch. He wanted them to pretend to be Blackwatch. And given that she and Mako weren't so protected, this was going to go horribly wrong.

Surprisingly, it didn't go _quite_ as bad as she thought.

* * *

"The roof, the roof, the roof is on fire." Alex was singing as he threw another shell around the room, forcing Equalists to run and hide. "We don't need no water let the motherfucker burn. Burn motherfucker, burn." He finished this by firing a powerful blast of fire at everything in sight.

Bending was never the problem. It was people like Alex who were the problem.

"Wow, these mecha tanks aren't doing all that well once you learn how to aim this thing." Bolin said cheerfully as he blew up another mecha tank. After Mako learnt the hard way that they had only so many things to fire, the rest decided to conserve their shots and only use them against the tanks. As they kept firing, Asami noted that Alex had gone missing. Probably trying to find more things to destroy.

"Ok. We've scared them off, and we've practically ruined this base. We need to move out before we get barbequed." Beifong said as she threw down her empty staff. The others nodded – she doubted any of them would shed tears over Alex if he didn't make it – but before they could start running something big leapt at them. They all dodged as it landed, revealing it to be a giant man in a pure black uniform. As they watched, he grabbed a large sheet of metal and tried to smack Beifong with it, only for her to bend it out of his grip. Taken off-guard by her manoeuvre, he was wide open as Bolin opened fire with rocks. The others used that time to move out of range so that Asami could fire her last shot at the giant. The explosion was pretty big, but he came stomping out of the smoke just looking angry. Mako, Bolin and Beifong started moving around him, barely keeping ahead because the others were attacking him. And Asami couldn't really help. She wasn't a bender, she couldn't do these cool tricks.

Well, now she had her own trick.

Ignoring every sense telling her otherwise, she moved _towards_ the giant, activating her shock glove as she ran. She placed it against the giant's back, shocking him with the powerful charge. But despite roaring in pain, he reached back and grabbed her by the hand. Stupid. This was so stupid. Now she was going to die in his thick paws. Mako was yelling, but he couldn't attack without hurting her. It was all over.

Which is why she was surprised when his arm fell apart.

He yelled again, clutching his severed socket in pain as Alex jumped high overhead. When he landed on the giant, he somehow pushed his down hard enough to dent the metal floor. The giant flung out his other arm to try and catch him, but Alex grew a spiked shield and pierced it on the spikes. He then ripped it off and absorbed it. His fist grew bigger and spikier, until it was like someone had tied rocks to his hands. He slammed them into the giant's face until it was completely gone. Then he sliced him right down the middle with his giant blade arm.

"Well, that was fun. But I think that's our cue to leave." Something blew up in the background, bringing metal raining down. "Don't want to be here when the generators explode."

"Wait. Where's my father?" Asami knew her dad was somewhere in the base before the attack happened. He wanted to stay with her to make sure she was alright. Did he run into Alex again?

"Don't know. My best guess is that he and the other scientists legged it when the alarms went off. Best thing to do when I'm around. And as I already mentioned, we should do the same." They ran off, trying their best to ignore the explosions happening around them. It was getting too hot. Way too hot. There was no way anything could survive in this heat. Yet Alex still looked as calm and collected as ever. As they passed by some rooms, he suddenly vanished in one of them and came racing with a rectangular black box of some kind. They reached the station, only to find the tracks had been severed by falling rubble. The explosions had gotten all the way here? Now how were they going to escape in time?

"Asami, hold this." Alex said as he passed her the box. "Whatever you do, do _not_ drop it. Everyone get in the tram."

"But the tracks are blocked. How are we going to get out?" Bolin asked as they all jumped in. Alex merely smiled before crouching down. They all yelled as the tram was lifted into the air, before moving incredibly fast down the crumbling tunnel. The wind rushed blindingly fast as the roof grew closer, forcing them to duck down. They all jolted as Alex dropped it onto the tracks, before moving even faster than before. Oh god, he was pushing them. At this rate they were going to run out of track. Asami peeked over the edge to find a massive pile of rubble where the entrance was. Forget running out of tracks, they were running out of tunnel!

"Hold on kids!" Beifong shouted, as she used Earthbending to tear a hole in the roof. They were suddenly flying as she made a ramp underneath them, Alex's strength pushing them high over the buildings. Beifong grabbed Mako with her cables, while Alex jumped up and grabbed Bolin and Asami with tendrils. They all landed on a nearby building as the tram fell to the ground, Alex cracking the roof as he landed. They looked back to see cracks forming all over the street, an earthquake rumbling as smoke erupted from the cracks.

"Alex Mercer. Saving the city one act of random destruction at a time."

* * *

That. Had been pretty fun. It had been ages since he got to use a grenade launcher, having been happy enough using his powers instead. Sure blowing people up with explosions was cool, but he thought it was even cooler to make things explode with big black spikes that covered the floor. And making things explode by throwing their massive tanks and oil drums at them was even better.

He blamed Blackwatch for that. Pyromaniacs, the lot of them.

And of course, none of the others were happy about what he did. He wasn't too sure why. He helped get Asami back safe and sound, he destroyed a Blackwatch base and factory, he even didn't get around to killing Sato. By all accounts they should be pleased with what he did. So why weren't they?

_Property damage in the thousands. Major loss of life. Blood splatters everywhere. While we did what was asked, we still acted like a monster._

Trying to please people was hard.

"What is that thing anyway?" Asami asked him, looking at the laptop he recovered. He had been pretty pleased when he realised that Blackwatch brought one of these back with them. Having few accesses to knowledge was starting to get frustrating. Maybe he could kick-start the information age after all this.

"This is a laptop computer. Where we come from, we've managed to make machines capable of holding entire libraries worth of information. I'm hoping that I can find something useful on this, or at least get things from their bigger systems onto this." Knowing how to use guns was useful, but here knowing how to _build_ them was even better.

Hey, Korra's up." Bolin shouted, pointing at the top of the stairs. Indeed, Korra was standing there looking a lot better than when they left. She still looked a bit tired, but at least she was walking on her own. And she was smiling at them. Strangely, she could still look Mako in the eye. Maybe the fact he loved her instead of Asami made her happy. He couldn't get love in the first place. He'd be better off not thinking about it at all. "Korra, Korra. You won't believe what happened. We found Asami straight away, but the Equalists were making some kind of really powerful explosives, so Alex and Asami got us into the base, and then we got these weird staffs that shot explosions, and it was all 'boom, boom, boom'. And then this really big guy showed up and started giving us trouble, but then Alex just dropped on him and smashed him into little pieces. And… and it was actually kind of gross, you probably don't want to hear the details."

"I get it Bolin. Alex fought people, Alex won." Korra really did understand. She got that it was a part of his nature.

_If it's a part of your nature to destroy and kill, then why are you trying to change?_

_Because Korra said so._

Korra was his tutor. She was teaching him right from wrong. Killing was wrong – if you got the wrong target.

It wasn't much, but it was a start.

"You won't believe how much property damage he caused out there. An entire district is ruined. Again, I might add. He needs to answer for his actions." That was Beifong, acting like he was the problem.

"You wanted to destroy the depot too, remember? How exactly is it my fault?"

"When I wanted it destroyed I thought it would be limited to the production line itself. Instead, we've got all that mess that _I_ have to clean up. He's done the crime, he needs to do the time."

"Alex? Doing time?" Korra looked at Alex. "How long could you sit in a cell before you got bored?"

How long? How long could he sit in a place where he could escape from? How long could he deal with seer boredom while fun and excitement was waiting for him out here? How long could he wait while Blackwatch were doing who-knows-what out there?

"Probably a day at most." He answered. Beifong looked angry at him. Did she dislike the fact that her cells wouldn't be able to hold him? Tough. A day was all he could stand. Maybe when things cooled down he might – _might_ – serve a sentence. He's never done that before. But until then, she could just deal with it.

"I just got some… interesting news from Tarrlok." Tenzin said as he walked down to them. He gave Korra a look of worry. He… worried for her. Cared for her. That… That's what friends do. Friends? Relatives? Family?

Family. She was like his family.

"He found out that Alex was spotted throwing a tram out of the ground just before the whole place started rumbling." He looked around for explanations.

"Blackwatch depot has been destroyed." Alex replied. Quick, easy, to the point.

"Well despite the damages, he believes it would be better to drop the charges. Pretend it never happened."

"What?" Mako shouted. "We're just going to pretend that he didn't just ruin a street and a half for no reason? Or what about his monster attack? Does Tarrlok know about that?"

"I have reason to believe that he does. And I'm betting that's part of why he wants Alex out here. His 'official' reason was that as an Avatar, Alex is a beacon of hope for all benders against the shadowy might of Amon and his Blackwatch allies. Unofficially, he probably imagines a several story monster could do some serious damage to the Equalists. As shown by today's mission." None of the others looked all that happy. "You know the other councillors vote with him. It's out of our hands." He turned to Alex now. "Well, thank you Alex for bringing Miss Sato back unharmed. I must admit, I expected so much to go horribly wrong."

"I get things done." Alex replied before walking up to Korra. "And how are you? Feeling better?"

"Yeah. I feel like I'll be back to normal by tomorrow morning." He wrapped his fingers around her wrist, noting her pulse, blood pressure, muscle density. She was alright.

She was alright.

"Good." He said, before walking off to find a place to rest. His old quarters were kindling now.

But he was sure he could manage.

**So yeah. Alex was not originally meant to cause a minor earthquake. Or fight an Orion soldier. It was all a bit low key, until this all popped into my head. I included the Orion fight to show why Blackwatch was so scared of him and how badass he was. He consumed plenty of people during the attack, which was why he crushed the guy. Sure it made things more interesting to have Alex fighting at like only 50% health/biomass. But sometimes you just want to give him a boost and cut loose. As for everyone getting guns, that probably won't happen until the war for Republic City for our heroes, and Season 2 for everyone else.**

**Oh yeah, that 'saving the city, one act of destruction' line was borrowed from Harry Dresden of the Dresden Files. I'd like to think that someone Alex has consumed has read it.**


	7. Outside Context

Chapter 7: Outside Context

"Are we really sure we can trust him?" Asami asked Mako as they walked in the Air Temple grounds. It was a large, lovely area with many blooming flowers and Air Nomad murals dotting the walls. Pema told her that she usually came out here to relax and enjoy the view.

Asami only cared that it would allow them to see anyone coming towards them.

"Korra's the only one who actually trusts him. For some reason she refuses to admit that he's a monster that's threatening everyone. She keeps thinking she can 'train' him to be a better person." Mako said in frustration. "And he's probably the whole reason Blackwatch are siding with the Equalists. You were at their base. Did you see anything related to us benders? As far as I can tell, they're just here to get Alex contained."

"I think they're after more than just that. I heard a rumour that most of the debended people the Equalist caught were handed straight to Blackwatch, and no one's seen them since. It doesn't really sound like they're just after Alex."

"Why does everyone defend him? He destroyed an entire block. He killed or wounded nearly a hundred people. He _almost_ ate people. And that was just by having a fit. We couldn't even stop him until Blackwatch showed up and yet everyone's acting like he's 'misunderstood'." He sighed. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't be taking this out on you. You've been through enough as it is. It's just that we've got a walking weapon who can bend all four elements better than anyone alive, and people think he can be tamed."

She gently squeezed his hand. "No, I understand. I'm scared too, and I don't have any bending powers to defend myself. I'm just saying that as bad as Alex is, Blackwatch might be worse. Didn't Korra say that Blackwatch created Alex? I mean, from what she said they made a dangerous weapon trying to make better people, and their first thoughts were 'how do we make it even more dangerous'. All of this stuff scares me." Mako hugged her, holding her in his gentle, yet firm arms. They stayed like this for who knows how long until Tenzin walked in on them.

"Oh, hello." He said to them. "You two haven't seen Korra anywhere, have you?" They both shook their heads, causing him to sigh. "I didn't think so. Maybe if you're not too busy you could help me find her."

"Sure thing. What do you need her for?" Mako asked as they got moving.

"Tarrlok is going to inform the news about Lin's replacement outside City Hall in a couple of hours. He insists that our resident Avatars attend to show their support for the continued support of our fair and just law enforcement."

"Wait. Chief Beifong's being replaced? Why?"

"Yeah. She's been doing a lot of good work." Asami said. "She found out about my… my father's workshop. And she found a Blackwatch base. That has to count for something, right?"

It does Asami, it does." Tenzin consoled her. "But unfortunately people blame her for the Equalist attack on the Probending Arena, Alex's attack on the Docks, and the damage caused by the Blackwatch base collapsing. Tarrlok's trying to placate everyone by assigning someone else as Chief of Police. And probably someone who'll agree with him too."

"So Alex causes a whole lot of destruction, and it's Chief Beifong that gets the shaft while everyone adores him." Mako huffed. "Does Tarrlok even _know_ that Alex was behind all that?"

"He does. I told him at the last meeting. Not everything, but enough to make it clear that Alex is a Blackwatch weapon gone rogue, and he was the one that caused that rampage. But after hearing that Korra's training him _and_ that he almost single-handedly destroyed the base, he chose to keep Alex on and use him against the Equalists."

"And you didn't try and stop them from agreeing?"

"Mako, one thing I've noticed is that everytime I try to vote against Tarrlok he gets the entire council to go along with his plans. And he's made it clear that the public is not to know about this. Frankly, I doubt you'd be able to convince people that Alex is actually a giant monster in human form anyway." As Mako sulked over this new development, Asami spotted Korra over at the Airbending circle, jumping about and throwing fire. Alex rushed after her, spinning and jumping with what she recognised as Equalist techniques. But she was surprised as she saw Alex rush past again, and again. As they got closer, she realised that there were three of him, all moving around and trying to hit Korra. She responded by using Earthbending to throw herself into the air before forcing them to move by throwing fireballs at them. But as she went to land, one of them threw a weighted cord at her boot, pulling her down towards him. Even as the breath left her body, she was already spinning herself to pull free, smacking Alex in the face as she did so. But before she could catch her breath, the third Alex rushed up behind her and tapped her pressure points, dropping her to the ground. After a few seconds, she managed to get back up while Alex reformed back into one.

"Impressive." Alex said. "But you keep standing in one place for too long and you lost track of the last me. You've got to be constantly moving and keeping all the Equalists in sight so they can surprise you like that. If you think you've got too many on you, then move to somewhere you can thin out the numbers."

"Got it." Korra replied. "Still, I held you off for 5 whole minutes. That's got to be pretty sweet."

"Maybe. But no matter how long it goes, the fight isn't over until your side is the last one standing."

"Then we'd better hope you remember which side you're on." Mako said sharply as they got closer. Asami resisted the urge to hold her head in embarrassment. She got that Korra won't let Alex kill her friends, but that still didn't make insulting him seem like a good idea.

"Enough. Alex, Korra, we're expected to leave soon for Chief Saikhan's promotion." Tenzin said before Alex attacked Mako. "And yes Alex, all of us need to be there. Tarrlok was very insistent about that."

"I don't like politicians. Tell Tarrlok that he can go…"

"Alex." Korra interrupted him. "Look, I know you didn't ask for it but people look up to you now. You're an Avatar. People expect us to help solve big problems like this. And if it looks like we're still doing everything we can to stop the Equalists and Blackwatch, then we help give people hope." Alex looked at her strangely, like hope was such a foreign subject to him.

"Alright, I'll go. But only because this would be the perfect chance for Blackwatch to assassinate everyone standing against them." Alex huffed, before down the stairs towards the boat. Asami felt a bit worried, and she was glad she wasn't expected to go too. The boat nearly capsized last time they used it.

"Don't worry." Korra said to her. "I'm mostly sure that's Alex speak for 'I'm doing this because you want to do this, but I'll pretend it's for some other boring reason'. He's always doing things like this."

"Korra." Asami started saying. "Could you please stop that?" She gave Asami a look.

"Stop what? Treating Alex like he's a person? Look, I get it. He's not really a person. He's scary. But if we keep treating him like he's a monster he's never going to learn to be nicer. Just give him a chance, ok? He's actually trying."

"You didn't see him in action Korra. He tore through everything in that base yesterday. Metal, cloth, flesh. It all just fell apart like it was nothing to him. Everything that got thrown at him just made him smile." All the fear she had been feeling yesterday came bubbling out. "He first revealed himself by firing spines through my team's skulls. We weren't even sure what was happening as they just started dropping. And when this giant attacked us, he rip it into the smallest shred he could. There was practically nothing left of the guy when he was done. And you want to stay close to him?"

"Asami. I _know_ what he can do. I probably know it better than anyone else. I was in his head. All that you saw, I saw even more of it. Part of me is terrified of him. But if I can help him, if I can teach him how to be good, then he won't be as scary." Asami gave her a look that screamed 'do you honestly believe that?' "Well he won't be _as_ scary. Come on, you trust _me_, don't you?"

She sighed. "I do. But if he started attacking everyone again you have to promise me you'll stop him for good."

"Don't worry. I will."

* * *

This was the first time Alex saw Councilman Tarrlok, the man pushing back against Blackwatch and the Equalists. And he already despised the man. He was so slimy Alex was surprised he didn't leave a trail like a slug. Alex didn't like politicians at the best of times, but everything was telling him to be wary of this guy from the get-go.

The fact it was blatantly obvious he's got the new Metalbending Police Chief in his pocket didn't endear him either.

"Republic City is facing a threat like none the world has ever seen but there is one man who's been effective against Amon's revolution, Councilman Tarrlok." Saikhan said while Tarrlok acted with humility for the cameras. "That is why for all matters involving the Equalists, I will report directly to him. The police department will lend any and all available resources to the councilman and his task force until we quell this insurgency." He punctuated his statement by slamming his fist onto the podium he stood behind. Nodding to the reporters, he stepped aside as Tarrlok took his place.

"Thank you for your dedication to protecting our fair city, Chief Saikhan." Tarrlok said. "But of course, I can't take all the credit for the recent losses The Equalists and Blackwatch have sustained. While my task force and the Police have managed to do plenty of damage in their own right, the greatest victories have all been thanks to the _real_ Avatar, Avatar Alex." He pointed at Alex, causing the cameras to start flashing at him as reporters shouted things at him. He glared at them all, wishing he could crush those cameras, but when Korra gave him a push he stepped onto the podium. The reporters quietened down as he took the stage, waiting with bated breath for him to speak.

"I'm only fighting to stop Blackwatch." He decided to speak truthfully. "No matter how dangerous the Equalists may seem, they're small-time compared to Blackwatch. I don't give a damn what people think about me. If you're working with them, or get in my way, then you're dead." He turned to leave, but was stopped as Tarrlok grabbed him gently – but firmly – by the shoulder.

"Come now Avatar Alex. Surely you're not against answering some questions?" The floodgate opened, as every reporter tried their best to be heard.

"Avatar Alex, just how far are you willing to go to stop Blackwatch?"

"Does it bother you that there were significant casualties after you destroyed the Blackwatch base?"

"If you're the real Avatar, does that mean that Korra is an anomaly?" He saw her look away as that question was asked.

"Just what is your relationship with Blackwatch? Are the rumours that you previously worked for them true?"

"Where are you from?"

"How long have you fought Blackwatch for?"

He let all those questions wash over him before speaking up. He made sure he was close to the microphone. "Get your hand off me before I rip it off and shove it up your ass." Tarrlok smiled at him, but quickly removed his hand and allowed him to leave. Everyone kept shouting questions, but he ignored them. If they knew the truth about any of that, they'd be crawling over each other to get away from him. But one question _did_ stand out.

"Avatar Alex, what about the monster that attacked the docks? Was that a Blackwatch creation? Are we likely to see it again?" He stopped, and turned to the crowd. He glanced at Korra and Tenzin to see them nodding at him.

"That monster _is_ a Blackwatch weapon, meant to destroy anything it comes across. It has been destroyed by the explosion, which was why it had to be so powerful. And _I_ am the anomaly. Korra is the real Avatar. Now, no more questions." He took his place by Korra, who smiled at him gratefully. This was what she wanted the most. To be the Avatar. If it made her happy, then he didn't even care.

After that, things went by quickly. Tarrlok made a few more speeches, the reporters asked more questions, and then it all started getting packed up. Tarrlok made pleasantries with several people before walking on over to the three of them, smiling all the while.

"Tarrlok, I don't know what you did to get Saikhan in your pocket but I highly doubt it was legal." Tenzin said angrily to him. Tarrlok just kept smiling.

"Oh Tenzin. Always the conspiracy theorist. I didn't _do_ anything. Saikhan just realised that I was one of the few people actually willing to do something about this terrorism. Speaking of which, it's a pleasure to meet you Avatar Alex." He held out his hand, ready to shake it.

"Can't say the same about you." Alex replied, glaring at him. "Everything about you pisses me off."

"Such a shame. I was hoping you and Korra would be willing to work in my task force. You're both powerful symbols of our city, though people respect you _far_ more than Korra. You're a beacon in these dark times, someone who's not only willing to stand against the Equalists, but send them scurrying back to the shadows. We'd need a small army to have dealt with that base you attacked, but as far as rumours go you attacked it with only yourself and two other people. _Very_ impressive."

"We're not joining your vanity project." Korra said to him, also glaring at him. "And Alex isn't interested in what you have to say."

"Oh? I'm not interested in what _you_ think he wants. I'm interested in what _he_ wants."

"Korra's right. I'm not interested. I can deal with Blackwatch on my own." Korra smirked at Tarrlok, but he didn't look perturbed.

"That's such a shame. Such a shame. You know, you said in your speech that you don't care what people think about you. But I'd wager that you'd care if word got out that the Blackwatch monster is in fact you." Alex tried to hide his surprise. "Yes, Tenzin told the Council _all_ about that. About how you lost control, went on a rampage and killed dozens of people. I'd imagine the city would be up in arms about that, hunting you down, uniting under me for a common cause."

"Or maybe they'll flock to Blackwatch and the Equalists, considering that your Metalbending police failed to even put a dent in me. They'd be upset that the 'icon' you endorsed turned out to be monster. So quite frankly, I don't think you have a leg to stand on. And if you really had an idea of what I am, of what I am capable of, then you just made one of the biggest mistakes of your life."

"Exactly." Korra spoke up. "You may have played me. You might've played Beifong. And you might even be playing with Saikhan. But you won't be able to make Alex do whatever you want. You need us, but we don't need you. And as the Avatar, I can fight with the best of them."

"But are you really the Avatar?" Tarrlok asked her slyly. "While you both seem to believe that Alex is the aberration, the cold truth is that he's more capable of being the Avatar than you are. Remember, he announced himself by bending all four elements, while rumour has it that you're still having some… difficulty with Airbending. Why, the public believe _him_ to be the real thing, and you're just some lucky girl able to bend three elements." Korra started looking dejected, and pondered ripping this guy's head off. "No matter. Even if you're not working for me, every Equalist and Blackwatch member you stop helps me out in the end. If you're not willing to help me Korra, then stay out of the way of the real experts." And with that, he walked away, leaving Korra looking very worried.

"Don't listen to him Korra." Tenzin said warmly. "We all know that _you_ are the real Avatar. No offence Alex." He said hurriedly to him. Alex just shrugged. It didn't really matter to him whether people saw him as the Avatar or not. "I know. Maybe you two could meditate on Airbending. Or you could try to contact your past lives. Their knowledge could help you push past this Airbending block."

"I can't. Didn't the White Locus tell you? I'm a spiritual failure."

"No, you're not. There have been several cases where an Avatar has made a connection without realising it. You might've missed it while you were dealing with…" He stopped, before taking a deep breath. "…While you were dealing with Alex's memories."

"…Maybe. I think I got a few flashes of Aang. He looked like he was in trouble."

"It could be his way of trying to tell you something. Just give it time, and the meaning might become clear."

"I'll meet you guys back at the Temple." Alex said. "But quick question. What does Tarrlok's Satomobile look like?"

And where could he find some toilet paper?

* * *

"I can't really explain how I do it." Alex said later that night to Korra. "I think I'm able to do Airbending despite my lack of 'spiritual ability' by the virtue of how many of my souls can Airbend. And let's be honest, I've had about as much luck with meditating as you have. All I can do is keep everyone in line."

"I thought as much." Korra said sadly. "Thanks anyway. I guess having someone else who isn't an Airbending master helps out." She sighed and looked towards Avatar Aang's statue. It always made Alex think of the Statue of Liberty, always in the distance and beyond his reach. When he finally got free of Blackwatch's blockade, the first thing he did was climb up it and painted a big smiley face on it.

Juvenile? Yeah. But it was funny, hearing everyone debate on the meaning of a terrorist smiley face.

"You get anywhere with that warning? Is it some other threat or is it about me and Blackwatch?"

"I don't know. I tried and I tried, but I just can't get anything. I can't even really remember who else was in it." They were quiet for a bit before she spoke up again. "Hey, do you ever want to go back home?"

"Back to my Earth? Not really. There's nothing there for me anymore. I drove away my sister; the military are after me; any friends I had are dead. I bet that if I stuck around, other governments might try and capture me to use me as a weapon. Here, once I wipe out Blackwatch I'll be free to just relax. I won't have to worry about constantly getting chased. And I'm still interested in all this 'spirit' stuff. Can you imagine what it's like, to actually end up on an alternate Earth, filled with things science and logic says are impossible? And I've got forever to study it all. To intellectual side of me, I've got everything I'd want right here."

"I'm glad for you. You've got something to do besides killing things. It's probably not completely what the others would want, but it's a start." She gave him a sad smile before looking away. He hated that smile. It reminded him constantly of how he wasn't able to help. He had all this strength, all this power designed to kill anything that got in his path. And yet for all his knowledge he didn't even know where to begin in fixing her problems. Psychiatrists were able to help because they could relate to their patients. He had nothing except for his shared memories.

_Friends help friends._

"Korra!" They heard Mako, Bolin and Asami shouting. Pabu came rushing out of the bush before taking a sharp turn away from Alex and hiding behind Korra. The other followed him (Her? It?) soon after. They all stopped as they saw Alex sitting there.

"Hey guys." Korra said with forced cheer. "Alex and i were just talking about Airbending. Tenzin thought that maybe his outside perspective could help me find a way around my block." She sighed. "But it's a no-go. Alex doesn't really know how he does it beyond brute-forcing the connection." She looked completely down. "I'm a terrible Avatar."

"No you're not Korra." Asami said to her. "You're a great Avatar. So what if you can't Airbend yet? That doesn't make you a terrible Avatar."

"She right." Mako piped up. "Besides, Avatar Aang hadn't mastered all four elements when he battled the Fire Nation, and he stopped Firelord Ozai."

"Yeah." Bolin agreed. "and he had friends to help him. Look, we might not be an official Probending team anymore, but we're still your team. We're the _new_ Team Avatar." The three of them placed their hands on top of each other in a circle, looking at Korra and Alex expectantly. When Alex looked at her, she was smiling again. But this was a happy smile. She got up and placed her hand on the circle before turning to face Alex. He saw how Asami and Mako stiffened, watching him and waiting. This wasn't his sort of thing. He was a loner, not needing anyone else. And the others didn't really like him. They only tolerated him because he stayed by Korra all the time. He was better off staying solo.

_Friends stand by friends._

"Alright then." He said as he got up. "Looks like the Krew's all together." Korra and Bolin smiled warmly at him, while Asami gave him a nervous grimace. Mako just stayed stone-faced, watching him carefully. "So how are we going to get around? I doubt Naga can carry all four of you guys." Asami looked thoughtful before smiling.

"I think I have an idea."

* * *

The police scanner squawked. "Calling all units, Level Four Alert. Jailbreak at headquarters. Officers down, electrocuted. Chi blockers, Equalist convicts and Blackwatch soldiers are still at large, armed and dangerous. Last seen heading east. I repeat, Level Four Alert. Equalist jailbreak!" At the same time, a large group of Satomobiles and trucks drove past, causing traffic to squeal to a halt. Asami gunned the engine, chasing after them as fast as she could. The Satomobile had a few problems, mainly because Alex's weight was slowing it down. Korra was worried that they'd have to ask Alex to hop out. Not that he'd have trouble keeping up, but it would kind of segregate him from the group. Alex fired his whipfist at several of the Satomobiles, grabbing them and throwing them overhead. While he was doing that, Mako and Bolin were using their bending to take out the chi blockers in the way. Mako's Lightning bending looked pretty impressive when he blew the tire out from underneath the chi blocker. But as they raced down the street, the Equalists started getting away, while Blackwatch Satomobiles closed in from behind them. Asami had to swerve as they opened fire with their guns. The few that managed to hit slammed into Alex's shield, before he turned it sideways and threw it on a whip. The spinning sheet of biomass sliced through the satomobile, causing the Blackwatch men to skid along the road painfully. Korra looked forward to see a large truck driving across a junction ahead of them. There was no way they could drive past it, especially with Alex weighing then down.

He evidently thought the same thing. "Well, looks like we've reached my stop guys. See you in a few seconds." He stepped over the side of the satomobile, vanishing as soon as his foot touched the road. Korra and Bolin used Earthbending to make two ramps for their wheels, before she looked back in time to see the other satomobile crash into Alex. While he didn't look worse for the wear, to say the satomobile was written off was putting it politely. Korra turned back to the front in time to see the last couple of Equalist bikes making smoke clouds. Soon, their vision was filled with black, making it impossible to see where they were going. But Asami looked like she could tell.

"Help me make this turn!" She shouted as they reached another street. Korra and Bolin again used Earthbending to create a ramp, but this one was curved to allow them to turn more easily. They made it round in one smooth motion, and crashed into the back of the bikes. The Equalists jumped onto their hood just in time for Asami to shock one with her Equalist glove, while the other got surprised by Alex showing up alongside them. Alex waved at him, distracting him long enough for Mako to blast him off the hood. Alex rushed ahead of them and fired his whipfist into the side of the truck, before landing on the road. Everyone ducked underneath his arm while the truck was pulled off course by his weight, turning in a circle until they slammed into the side of a building. They all got out and walked over in time for the driver to stumble out of the wreck. He looked around in a dazed state until Alex flicked him to the ground. They went around the back and pulled it open, showing a dozen or so prisoners still bound. It was easy to get them to kneel down on the side of the road, and just in time for reporters to show up. She wasn't exactly waiting for them, but maybe if they were working together people would stop thinking of her as less than Alex. They stood around until the police finally showed up, revealing a very angry Tarrlok.

"And just what do you lot think you're doing?" He asked them angrily.

"Hey Tarrlok. Nice of you to finally show up. We were just doing our job. You know, capturing Equalists and Blackwatch members." Korra replied smugly.

"I gave that job to Avatar Alex. Not to you Korra."

"True, but i decided to recruit Avatar Korra and her friends to help me with my arrests." Alex spoke up, smiling underneath his hood. "And it's a good thing too. I nearly lost these guys while i was dealing with their escort. They managed to take out the main transport."

"What they did was tear up several public streets and impede the _real_ authorities from doing their job."

"And if you guys were anywhere near these clowns, we wouldn't have had to do your job for you."

"This is your last warning, Korra." Tarrlok said in fury, pointing his finger at her. "leave this to the professionals. And all of you, stay out of my way." He stalked over to his transport, slamming the door as he drove off. The others stood by the Satomobile, smiling at their efforts.

"He's probably just pissed off because some random person covered his Satomobile with toilet paper." Alex said slyly. "Strangely though, no one's come forward about that. It's like it was a spirit, or something from another world."

Everyone looked at him in surprise, before bursting out laughing.

* * *

"How can they still worship Zeus?" Redcliffe wonder aloud as he looked down at a map of the city. They had marked in areas of the city where the people were aligned with their cause, while still showing places that supported the benders. At least half the city was with them, while the other half were content to not rock the boat. "Didn't that Sato girl mention that Avatar Korra was aware of what he is?"

"It is possible that she sees her role as a mediator to mean that she should try and 'rehabilitate' him." Daniels replied. Redcliffe looked at him in surprise. "Sir, we've had a scanner close to her during the unveiling of Police Chief Saikhan. It could only pick up Zeus. So whatever she's doing, it's _mostly_ of her own free will."

"…We'll need to have words with her." Honestly, trying to rehabilitate him? What was that girl thinking? "And see if you can come up with any way of turning the city against Zeus in the meantime."

"At the moment, if we can't make Avatar Korra understand the monster she's with, we could try and pin the blame of her demise on his head. A rivalry between the two Avatars that got a bit too heated."

"It could work." They were interrupted by the door opening to reveal Hiroshi Sato. He looked very haggard, especially after her learnt that his daughter had aided Zeus in attacking one of their bases. Some of the newer generals in Blackwatch back home might've executed him for bringing her into the fold. But Redcliffe wasn't a barbarian. Zeus would've destroyed the base on his own sooner or later. All Asami Sato did was bring him to their door sooner than they thought, and that was hardly worth killing him over. Besides, he was a family man too. He shook his head, driving away the memories. He promised himself he wouldn't think of them again. Not until the mission was complete.

"I just got news from my workers." Sato said to him. "The Council's moving to make it illegal to become a part of the Equalists or Blackwatch, or aid us in any way. And they're enforcing a curfew upon the city."

"Let me guess. It only applies for non-benders." Daniels spoke up. While annoying, it wasn't as damaging to them as it was for the Equalists. They found that at least 57% of their number was a bender of one art or another. They even had Airbenders in their ranks. And history shows that doing a curfew against a minority will only give them more strength.

"Amon figured they'd do something like that. It just goes to show how little control they have left. Daniels, prep the relief team and send them over to the Dragon Flats borough. And get teams 4 and 5 ready in case we need more. With any luck, there'll be riots in the streets. We'll direct them towards the more ritzier areas, help them vent their frustrations and see how many we'll get to join us."

"Yes sir." Daniels said, saluting him before leaving the room. As he left, one of his lieutenants entered at almost the same time, nearly colliding. They spoke to each other before Daniels turned to face him. "We just got word from the Orion personnel. They've reported that he's responding to the modified serum as planned. He should be up and about by this time tomorrow."

"Good. But make it clear that he still can't take on Zeus alone. We don't want anything to happen to them."

"Understood."

* * *

The Krew were all sitting around and joking that night as they had a quick dinner of dumplings. Alex had gotten bored and was juggling a few satomobiles for fun. As they were finishing their dinner off and he was preforming a complex technique that required two more arms, they all heard the police scanner squawk again. It was talking about an Equalist rally happening over in the Dragon Flats borough. Korra was a bit worried about a rally, and made Alex promise that he'd avoid causalities. He agreed, but reminded her that Blackwatch wouldn't believe the same. This time, he was running alongside the satomobile, easily keeping pace with them as they talked about what they'd do when they get there.

"…Alex and Korra will use Waterbending from any fountains to freeze the Equalists in place, while Bolin will use Earthbending to hold them. Asami, you and I will shock the ones left standing." Mako was ordering them. They all nodded. "If the rally's as big as the first one we saw, then we'll just have to hold it back until Tarrlok and the police get to us. Don't resort to killing them just because it's taking too long."

"Alright, alright I get it." Alex replied. "I know it's not obvious, but I _can_ respond with non-lethal force. I don't solve _all_ my problems by just hitting it till it dies." By now they were on a straight road to the Dragon Flats, but the whole area was dark and without lights. Was this part of Tarrlok's plan to ambush the Equalists? By the time they pulled into the main square though, Korra had a suspicion that something wasn't right.

"These people aren't armed or dangerous." Alex noted. "They're just pissed off." As he said that, a large black truck pulled away from the crowd, heading away from them. "Blackwatch. Should I go after them?"

"No." Korra decided. "If these people _are_ actually dangerous, we'll need your muscle to stop them. And if they aren't we'll need you just in case." They all heard the squeal of a megaphone. Alex had been surprised when he learnt they had them here too.

"All non-benders return to your homes immediately." Saikhan shouted. "Failure to obey will result in your immediate arrest."

"We'll do it when you turn the power back on!" Someone shouted back.

"You benders can't treat us like this." A woman added. The little girl at her feet jumped up and pointed at Korra and Alex.

"Mommy, mommy. It's the Avatars." Everyone turned to face them, and Alex squirmed under their gaze.

"Please, you have to help us." They were saying. "You're our Avatars too. We can't be treated like common criminals." It pained her to see them this way. None of them were Equalists. They were all scared people trying to live their lives. Korra nodded, firm in what she had to do.

"Everyone, please stay calm. Alex and I will put a stop to this, one way or another." Cause that was the thing with having Alex around. You always had another option. "Alex, could you go to the power station and have a word with the foreman?"

"Sure. I'll move quickly though. One side's going to go too far and we'll have problems then. Well, _you'll_ have problems." He ran off, leaving a trail or cracked ground behind him as he headed towards the power plant. At the rate he was going, he should reach it with minutes. In the meantime, she was going to find Tarrlok and convince him to stop. They found him over by Saikhan, probably discussing how to oppress these people.

"Ah, Avatar Korra." She hated how he said 'Avatar'. It was like his very tone was reminding her who he saw as the real deal. "I don't see your babysitter anywhere. Are you doing this without his authority?"

"Alex has gone to get these people their power back. In the meantime, he wants you to leave these people alone."

"Well unless I hear it from him personally, I'll simply assume that you're lying. Besides, you're telling me that I should let dangerous Equalists roam free, destroying everything we care about."

"These aren't Equalists. They're just ordinary people who want their rights back. You had no right to take their power from them."

"I have every right to take rights from Equalist and Blackwatch supporters. We spotted a Blackwatch truck in here not too long ago. These people were aiding their escape."

"They were just delivering supplies." One of the non-benders shouted at them. "Food, medicine, toys for the kids. They were trying to help people forced out of the docks by that monster attack."

"You see? They admit they were accepting Blackwatch supplies. They were fraternising with the enemy. Round them up!" He ordered the officers. They immediately used their Metalbending to remove the legs on the barricades, wrapping it around the civilians before using Earthbending to lift them up. As everyone else started panicking, Korra quickly bended the people back down to the ground. While she was helping people escape, Tarrlok used his Waterbending to grab Asami and pull her closer.

"Hey! Let her go!" Mako shouted. He tried to get closer, but officers blocked his path.

"Out of the question. She's a non-bender out past curfew, and her father is a known Equalist conspirator. This is all obviously part of her father's plan, letting her join your little group." Suddenly, the lights came on all over the district. Everyone cheered while Korra smiled. Truthfully, she had been a bit worried about how quickly she sent Alex off like that. If he had been here, Tarrlok probably wouldn't have done all this. He snarled at the lights. "Officers, arrest these two for aiding Equalist supporters." Mako and Bolin yelped as they were grabbed with metal cables and pulled in, leaving Korra to keep them busy until Alex got back. She used her Earthbending to shake their footing, forcing them to let go of Mako and Bolin to support themselves. Then then fired of blasts of fire at the others, keeping them away from her. But she was suddenly distracted as the lights went out again, causing everyone to groan. The officers used her lapse to grab the guys, while other bound her in their cables. She tried to struggle free, but she had as much luck as the first time they arrested her. Tarrlok smirked at her as he loaded Asami into one of the police vans. Where was Alex? Why had the power gone out again? Korra, finally managed to use her feet to shake the ground again, pulling herself free. The officers surrounded her, ready to keep going.

"Tarrlok, this is exactly what Blackwatch want you to do." She shouted at him. "If you arrest me for defending civilians, people will start rioting. They'll see you as a tyrant, and you'll be getting rid of one of the few people fighting back." Tarrlok seemed to listen to her, as he waved his hand at the officers.

"We've got enough Equalist supporters for tonight." He shouted at them. "And you, Avatar Korra. Let this be a lesson to you. You can't fight the law. If you ever get involved in my arrests like this again, I _will_ lock you up." And with that, the last of the trucks drove off. The lights came back on, but it was too late. She slumped to the ground, crying tears of anger until Alex appeared next to her.

"What happened?" He asked her. "Where are the others?"

"They… They were arrested by Tarrlok. He was using this as an excuse to arrest everyone, and I tried to stop him. He got Asami for her father being an Equalist, and Mako and Bolin for helping her. I tried to stop him, but there were just too many. What about you? What took you so long?"

"I talked to the foreman and we had an argument about differing orders. I knocked him out and turned the power back on, but then Blackwatch attacked. I guess they decided to use the power outage as an excuse to cause a riot. I had to deal with them before I could keep the power going. So are we going to get them free?"

"You bet we are."

* * *

Tarrlok's gone too far. That was the thought on Tenzin's mind as he entered the police station. Bad enough he got that idiotic curfew voted in, bad enough he had complete control over the Metalbending police. But the first thing he does is remove Dragon Flat's access to power simply so he could arrest the entire district. Forget Blackwatch and the Equalist using honeyed words. They'll just have to sit back and wait as Tarrlok tears the city in two. But even as he passed through the doors, his _worst_ fears were unfounded. Everyone was still alive, and Alex wasn't carving anyone up. But given the aggression in his stance, that might not be true for much longer.

"Sorry Avatar Alex." The receptionist said timidly. "Councilman Tarrlok's orders. You need his approval to create another task force, and he's already vetoed those three. It's out of my hands."

"Listen, you bloated snivelling pile of filth. Those three are trusted members of my group. Asami Sato helped me and Chief Beifong destroy the Blackwatch base. That right there is solid proof that she is not affiliated with the Equalists. Now either we can do this the easy way where you unlock their cell doors, or we can do this the hard way where I take your scrawny neck and shove it…"

"Enough Alex." Tenzin interrupted before he decided to make good on that threat. "But he has a point. I see no evidence that allows you to hold them. They were simply trying to help innocents, and you _will_ release them."

"I…I…" The poor man looked like he was going to soil his trousers. "I'll go and get Chief Saikhan for you." He quickly stumbled out of his seat, colliding with the walls as he ran off. Tenzin sighed before turning to Alex.

"Alex, you can't just threaten a man for doing his job. And you certainly can't suggest you'll kill him if he doesn't follow your orders."

"Why not? The three of us know that I can easily carve my way through this place."

"It's not a question of whether you can. It's whether you should do so. Blackwatch and the Equalists could use the lack of officers to begin a full-scale war. We need to avoid that at all costs." At this point Saikhan showed up, looking rather disgruntled. "Let _me_ talk to him first."

"Councilman Tenzin, I'm a bit swamped at the moment. And having a recruit nearly shoulder-charge me babbling about how Avatar Alex threatened to kill him is not helping."

"Well then simply release their friends, and he'll leave you alone."

"They were arrested interfering in police business. You can't just ignore the rules simply because your friend is threatening people."

"That's a bit hollow considering they were arrested stopping you lot from taking dozens of innocent people." Korra said bitingly.

"All Equalist suspects are being detained until we can confirm their allegiance. If you've got a problem with that, you'll have to take it up with Councilman Tarrlok. I'm just following orders."

"Following orders." Alex snorted. "That went out of style at Nuremberg."

"I assure you, I will be bringing this up with Tarrlok at the next meeting tomorrow morning. And you are the worst police chief ever." With that, Tenzin huffed and walked away. Korra and Alex followed, but Alex stopped to grab a freestanding metal post. With only the slightest of resistance, he bent that pole until he was holding a mangled piece of scrap before embedding the whole thing into the wall. "Believe me when I say I'll do everything in my power to get them free. But in the meantime, I want you two to promise me that you won't do anything rash."

"I…I promise." Korra said hesitantly.

"Promise. Cross my heart, hope to die, stick a dagger in my eye." Alex replied.

"Good. Let's go home."

"Hold on. I need Alex to move the satomobile out of the way. And… I need some time to think." She looked so sad that he didn't have the heart to say no.

"Alright. Just make sure you get back home safely." And with that, he headed off to the nearest local transport back to the docks.

Part of him was sure they were going to do something stupid.

* * *

"You know, in our defence given how long Tenzin's known you you'd think he know you'll do this sort of thing anyway." Alex said as he drove the satomobile to the docks. "Let me guess. I'll go and get the others out while you have a 'chat' with Tarrlok. Do you want me to come round and help negotiate?"

"I can handle it Alex." Korra said firmly. This wasn't about whether she could handle it. This was about her proving herself, showing that she was good enough to be the Avatar. Stupid, but if it made her happy then he was willing to let it slide.

For now.

* * *

Normally, breaking into such a large police station/prison would be difficult. There would always be officers around ready for the slightest problem, checkpoints all around, and everyone knows everyone. To get in would be very difficult. To get out, while also bringing along three high value prisoners at the same time, would be impossible.

Fortunately, the _last_ thing anyone would say about Alex is he's 'normal'.

Getting past everyone was so easy it was almost laughable. He had memorised the faces of several officers. Every time he passed someone, he would end up changing shape until he reached the main prison area. The guards here were more alert, and were keeping an eye on everything. But given the way everyone else reacted, former Chief Beifong would be able to get through just fine. As he rounded the corner, the guards stood to attention when he passed. It wasn't until he reached their cells that the guards finally tried to stop him.

"Uh, Captain Beifong. You… You're not actually allowed in there." The guard stammered. Internally, Alex smirked as he glared at the poor sap.

"Oh? And why's that? It is because I'm regarded as another 'Equalist sympathiser'? Or is it because Saikhan and Tarrlok both know that they're disobeying the law?"

"Councilman Tarrlok said that all Equalist suspects are to be…"

"In case you haven't bothered to pay attention, two of those suspects are benders. The Equalists would never allow them entry with their bending. And I've read the report. I know that those suspects are innocent people. I expected more from the guard than acting as Tarrlok's personal force. Our duty is to the people of Republic City. Now are you going to let me through or do I have to assign you to bathroom patrol?" The guard wilted under his glare, and handed over the keys. He quickly unlocked the door to Asami's cell, and then headed to the other end to get Mako and Bolin. He would've loved to let Mako spend some time in here, but Korra was adamant. They _all_ had to leave together. "Oh, and when you see Saikhan, tell him I'd love to discuss with him what the badge means to him." And with a final huff, he led the three of them out the doors.

Being Beifong was great. He actually got to walk out the front door with them and no one stopped him.

"Thanks for busting us out Beifong." Bolin said happily. "Now, if we could just stop at a food stand for some dinner. I'm starving."

"You're always starving." Alex said in his own voice, changing back to normal. "I believe you said you were a 'growing boy'. Now come on. Korra was going to have a talk with Tarrlok about his behaviour. If we hurry, we might be able to get a few 'words' in too." They all hopped into the satomobile, with Asami again at the reins. She quickly drove them all the way over, dodging the rest of traffic like it was nothing. Alex wasn't really for driving - why bother when you can outrun most vehicles – but he was duly impressed by her handling. And it couldn't have been easy with him in the back. They made it to the Council building faster than he thought they would. He grabbed the three of them and jumped through the open window on the side, obviously Tarrlok's office and Korra's point of entry. But inside, they only found the signs of a real battle. The whole place had been trashed. The bookcase was shredded, water dripping away while a stone wall stood near them. At the other end, a mural was jutting out sideways, water trickling down it and pooling on the floor. They found a large hole where the door was, and a reasonably-sized crater at the ground level. The seats had been thrown around like toys.

But there was no sign of Tarrlok or Korra.

"Strange." Alex mused. "Once she got him out of the office you'd think she'd have cleaned the place with his face." He quickly sent out a pulse, but he couldn't pick her up. He tried again, but it came back with nothing. "Wherever she is, it's not here."

"You sure? She could be waiting for us elsewhere." Mako said. "She could be back on Air Temple Island."

"While I bet he'd love to see it, I doubt Tenzin would be happy to learn that Korra assaulted a Councilman to try and stop this whole thing from going nuclear." He sent out one last pulse, not really expecting anything. But he was surprised to get a response.

But it was coming faintly from the North. As far away from Air temple Island as you can get.

He sent another pulse, but it wasn't getting anything else. Nevertheless, it told him what he wanted. She wasn't in Republic City anymore. She wouldn't have gone that way on her own free will, at least not without the rest of them or a note.

And whoever had grabbed her was going to die.

* * *

"Sir? One of our inside people just received word that Avatar Korra was taken by Councilman Tarrlok." Daniels said to Redcliffe. "Guess she got too much in his way. I bet you that he's going to pin this on us."

"And send Zeus directly to us." This was… annoying. He wanted Zeus to be more occupied before this sort of thing happened. "how long will it take for Zeus to realise it's been duped?"

"Honestly? I'm hoping he'll figure it by tomorrow morning." Good call. Zeus was as dangerous as they come. Redcliffe believed that one should treat Zeus like a nuclear bomb, or a rampaging tornado. You stay away from it, and you don't poke it without good reason. Considering how many bases its gone through, he had a very good point. "but I do have some good news too. He's ready sir. He's healed faster than we estimated."

"Good. And all the abilities function as expected?"

"Most of them sir. His senses have a habit of working a bit too well."

"Hmm. We'll have to fix that. But what does he think about it? What's his verdict on all that power?"

"Amon says his new power will win the revolution."

**I realised pretty quickly that the only way things could be a threat to Korra was if I take Alex out of the scene for a moment. That was the only way Asami, Bolin and Mako could get arrested, and therefore send Alex off to free them so that Korra can get abducted.**

**And yeah, Amon has been turned into an Orion. Uh oh. Korra had better watch out. Originally I had wanted this to happen, but then I decided to go for having the lieutenant become an Orion, since you can't really be equal if you can bench press a satomobile and punch out small mountains. But then I remembered that he used Bloodbending, even though that went against his movement, simply because it granted him the power to achieve his revolution. So in the end I decided to give it to him after all. And the lieutenant could become a cyborg or something. That would be awesome.**


End file.
